u  If''-'-,  •,       .;5"'r,i.J 


Hiiifpi 


iBii^iiifHMmrtNMWuHH*}! 


ENGLISH' 

FOR, 
SMITH, 


•rtKiiitftf-ffTija-.L-..--  il'gli':!  :f'<'"fe'--:.:-H 


GIFT  OF 


l^  lo'i) 


ORAL  ENGLISH   FOR  SECONDARY 
SCHOOLS 


THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 

NEW   YORK   •   BOSTON   •    CHICAGO    •   DALLAS 
ATLANTA    •    SAN   FRANCISCO 

MACMILLAN  &  CO.,  Limited 

LONDON   •  BOMBAY   •  CALCUTTA 
MELBOURNE 

THE  MACMILLAN  CO.  OF  CANADA,  Lid. 

TORONTO 


ORAL  ENGLISH  FOR  SECONDARY 
SCHOOLS 


By 
WILLIAM  PALMER  SMITH,  B.  S. 

STUYVESANT  HIGH  SCHOOL,  NEW  YORK  CITY,  N.  Y, 


Nm  fork 

THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 

1920 

All  rights  reserved 


COPTEIGHT,   1913, 

By  the  MACMILLAN  COMPANY. 


Set  up  and  electrotyped.    Published  December,  1913. 


Berwick  &  Smith  Co.,  Norwood,  Mass.,  TJ.S.A* 


DEDICATED 

TO 

THE  BOYS  OF  STUYVESANT  HIGH  SCHOOL 

WHOSE  NEED  OF  PRACTICAL  HELPS  IN  ATTAINING 

BETTER  SPOKEN  ENGLISH  HAS 

BEEN  EVER  IN  MY  MIND 

WHILE  PREPARING 

THIS  BOOK 


4GO0€a 


PREFACE 

The  importance  of  good  training  in  oral  English  receives 
more  ready  recognition  by  educators  to-day  than  ever  it 
did  before.  With  the  revolt  against  mechanical  and  stilted 
elocution  has  come  the  realization  that  without  skilful  in- 
struction and  well  directed  practice,  pupils  cannot  develop 
that  "correctness  and  precision  in  the  use  of  the  mother 
tongue^'  which  is  one  of  the  most  apparent  marks  of  an 
educated  man. 

The  effectiveness  of  instruction  in  oral  English,  as  in  most 
other  subjects,  is  greatly  increased  by  the  use  of  a  practical 
text-book.  It  is  the  purpose  of  this  volume  to  emphasize  the 
value  of  training  in  oral  English,  that  pupils  may  know  from 
the  outset  for  what  they  are  working;  to  outline  graded 
lessons  in  enunciation  and  pronunciation  with  illustrations 
enough  for  definite  assignments  without  resorting  to  other 
sources;  to  indicate  how  the  speaking  voice  may  be  improved 
by  appropriate  exercises  and  proper  use;  to  explain  and  illus- 
trate the  most  important  principles  of  expression  in  a  man- 
ner likely  to  impress  High  School  pupils;  to  point  out  the 
relation  of  oral  reading  to  conversation  and  public  speaking; 
and  to  furnish  appropriate  selections  which  are  unhackneyed, 
interesting  and  of  literary  merit. 

The  arrangement  and  scope  of  the  lessons  in  enunciation 
and  pronunciation  will  be  of  great  assistance  to  teachers  in 
helping  pupils  to  overcome  foreign  accents,  for  the  diagrams 
indicate  the  position  of  the  vocal  organs  in  producing  each 


VIU  PREFACE 

consonant  sound,  the  sentences  for  drill  give  every  consonant 
sound  with  all  (or  approximately  all)  its  possible  combina- 
tions with  other  consonants,  the  vowel  sounds  are  described, 
copiously  illustrated,  and  reviewed  by  lists  of  words  to  test 
the  pupils^  abiUty  to  recognize  them,  and  words  commonly 
mispronounced  are  classified  according  to  the  errors  usually 
made  in  speaking  them. 

A  special  effort  has  been  made  to  include  good  selections 
from  the  works  of  modern  authors,  and  to  secure  variety  by 
culling  extracts  from  history,  biography,  science,  essays, 
fiction,  verse  and  the  drama.  The  purpose  has  not  been  to 
compile  a  collection  of  '^pieces  to  speak,''  but,  as  many  of 
the  selections  are  well  adapted  to  that  purpose,  the  book 
will  be  useful  to  those  desiring  something  new  for  public 
recitation.  As  short  stories  have  a  prominent  place,  the 
book  will  prove  of  service  in  literature  classes  when  the  short 
story  and  its  treatment  are  discussed. 

In  preparing  this  volume  I  have  been  conscious  of  the 
great  debt  of  gratitude  I  owe  to  my  former  instructors, 
and  to  speciaHsts  whose  works  have  been  helpful.  It  is 
impossible  to  give  credit  to  whom  credit  is  due  in  all  cases, 
but  I  wish  to  acknowledge  my  especial  indebtedness  to 
Dr.  Charles  W.  Emerson  and  Professor  Charles  W.  Kidder 
of  the  Emerson  College  of  Oratory,  Boston,  Mass.,  to  Pro- 
fessor S.  H.  Clark  of  Chicago  University,  to  Dr.  Guy  Carleton 
Lee  of  Johns  Hopkins  University,  to  Dr.  Naomi  Norsworthy 
and  Professor  Herbert  Vaughn  Abbott  of  Columbia  Univer- 
sity, to  Emily  M.  Bishop,  Arthur  Edward  Phillips  and 
Samuel  Arthur  King. 

Having  chosen  selections  for  this  book  from  many  sources, 
I  desire  to  express  my  deep  sense  of  obligation  to  the  authors 
(or  their  representatives)  and  publishers  for  their  generous 
and  courteous  permission  to  reprint  selections  protected  by 


PREFACE  IX 

their  copyrights.    Acknowledgement  of  permission  is  made 
in  connection  with  every  such  selection. 

My  sincere  thanks  are  extended  to  Frederick  H.  Law, 
chairman  of  the  department  of  English  at  Stuyvesant  High 
School,  for  his  kindness  in  criticising  the  manuscript. 

William  Palmer  Smith. 
New  York  City,  N.  Y. 
June,  1913 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

PART  I 

PAGE 

The  Value  op  Oral  English 3 

The  Divisions  of  Oral  English 6 

Formal  Elements  in  Oral  English 10 

Position 10 

Breathing 12 

Enunciation 15 

Pronunciation 46 

Intellectual  Elements  in  Oral  English 78 

The  Study  of  Models 78 

The  Selection  of  a  Topic 85 

Practice 93 

Vocabulary 95 

Grasp  of  the  Subject 98 

Emotional  Elements  in  Oral  English 99 

Emotional  Expression 99 

Feeling  the  Pulse  of  the  Audience 101 

Ability  to  Hold  the  Audience 102 

Perception  of  Vocal  Effects 103 

A  Flexible  and  Responsive  Voice 107 

Technical  Elements  in  Oral  English 112 

Vocal  Expression 112 

Physical  Response 144 

The  Preparation  of  Oral  English  Assignments 148 

How  to  Prepare  a  Reading  Lesson 148 

How  to  Prepare  a  Selection  for  Public  Presentation 149 

How  to  Prepare  an  Original  Speech 150 

How  to  Prepare  a  Debate 151 

xi 


xii  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

PART  II 

Selections  fob  Practice 

VitaUty  ^^^^ 

The  Breaking  of  Pommers A.  Conan  Doyle  159 

The  Finish  of  Patsy  Barnes Paul  Laurence  Dunbar  164 

The  Story  of  the  Breeze Miguel  Zamacms  169 

Escape  from  Prison S.  Weir  Mitchell  171 

The  Race  of  Life Oliver  Wendell  Holmes  176 

Song  of  the  Chattahoochee Sidney  Lanier  177 

Log  Driving Stewart  Edward  White  179 

When  Tuhps  Bloom Henry  van  Dyke  183 

May  Flowers Theodosia  Garrison  184 

The  Eagle's  Song Richard  Mansfield  185 

Falstaff 's  Valor JVilliam  Shakespeare  186 

A  Silly  Old  Man George  R.  Sims  190 

Under  the  Sign  of  the  Golden  Shoe Alfred  Noyes  191 

The  Electric  Tram Alfred  Noyes  193 

When  I  Go  Out  on  my  Wheel Alfred  James  Waterhouse  194 

Relative  Values 

How  Wendell  Philhps  Became  an  Anti-slavery  Reformer, 

Mary  A.  Livermore  197 

America,  The  Crucible  of  God Israel  Zangwill  200 

Hymn  to  the  North  Star William  Cullen  Bryant  202 

The  Swan  Creek  Church  Opened Ralph  Connor  203 

The   Sea Bryan  Waller  Proctor  206 

Scene  From  ''Little  Women"  (Louisa  M.  Alcott), 

Dramatized  by  Marion  DeForest  208 

The  Case  of  Fatty  Simon Jesse  Lynch  Williams  211 

Griggsby's  Station James  Whitcomb  Riley  213 

A  Lodging  for  the  Night Robert  Louis  Stevenson  215 

The  Man  with  his  Hat  in  his  Hand Clark  Howell  219 

A  Court  Lady Elizabeth  Barrett  Browning  221 

Self-assertion  in  Speech Benjamin  Franklin  223 

Second  Fiddle Richard  Burton  224 

Lincoln,  the  Man  of  the  People Edwin  Markham  225 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS  xiii 

PAGE 

The  Story  of  Philip  Nolan Edward  Everett  Hale  227 

The  Path  to  Peace William  Howard  Taft  231 

Loyalty Newell  Dwight  Hillis  232 

Said  Abdallah Homer  Davenport  234 

Pictures 

Sergeant  Vaughan  as  a  Fireman Jacob  A.  Riis  239 

The  Death  of  the  Dauphin Alphonse  Daudet  241 

A  Vision  of  American  History Henry  Watterson  243 

Marguerite John  Greenleaf  Whittier  245 

A  Passion  in  the  Desert Honore  de  Balzac  246 

A  Night  among  the  Pines Robert  Louis  Stevenson  250 

Tall-stoy George  Ade  253 

A  Royal  Marauder Charles  G.  D.  Roberts  256 

The  Passing  of  Captain  Jewett George  W.  Cable  259 

Burial  of  Dundee William  Edmondstoune  Aytoun  262 

Rescued  from  the  Stadthouse  Tower Charles  Reade  266 

The  Miracle  of  the  Peach-Tree Maurice  Hewlett  270 

Antelope  the  Sioux  Scout C.  Alexander  Eastman  274 

Pirates Alfred  Noyes  277 

Nandi  Lion  Hunting Theodore  Roosevelt  278 

The  King's  Tragedy Dante  Gabriel  Rossetti  282 

Directness 

At  Abbotsford  with  Scott Washington  Irving  291 

A  Morning  in  a  Village  of  Central  Africa Herbert  Ward  293 

Sea  Ice  and  Icebergs John  Tyndall  296 

Struggling  for  an  Education Booker  T.  Washington  298 

Standards  of  Success Brander  Matthews  300 

The  Premiere  of  ''She  Stoops  to  Conquer" .  . .  F.  Frankfort  Moore  302 

The  Italian  in  England Robert  Browning  305 

Getting  Started  as  a  Lawyer Paul  Leicester  Ford  310 

Where  Edible  Birds'  Nests  are  Gathered H,  Wilfred  Walker  313 

John  Brown's  Last  Speech James  Redpath  316 

Consecration  to  Country Abraham  Lincoln  318 

Henry  Hudson's  Last  Voyage Henry  van  Dyke  319 

Sidney  Carton's  Sacrifice  (Charles  Dickeng), 

Dramatized  by  Freeman  Wills  324 


xiv  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

The  Discovery  of  the  North  Pole Robert  E.  Peary  326 

As  Men  Should Leonard  B.  Kendall  329 

American  Integrity Charles  Evans  Hughes  331 

Climbing  to  a  Steeple-top Cleveland  Moffett  333 

Extract  from  Inaugural  Address Woodrow  Wilson  336 


PART  I 


ORAL  ENGLISH  FOR  SECONDARlt 
SCHOOLS 

THE  VALUE  OF  ORAL  ENGLISH 

Good  Oral  English  an  Element  of  Success. — Every  high 
school  pupil  should  take  as  much  interest  in  improving  his 
oral  English  as  he  does  in  developing  his  body,  for  both 
are  closely  related  to  success  in  life.  The  man  with  little 
physical  endurance,  sees  his  stronger  neighbors  outdo  him 
in  efficient  work  and  length  of  service.  In  a  similar  way, 
the  man  with  a  poor  command  of  oral  EngHsh,  is  compelled 
to  see  his  rivals  of  better  address  win  friends,  secure  positions, 
and  gain  promotions  that  he  cannot  attain.  Skill  in  the  use 
of  the  mother  tongue  is,  therefore,  a  valuable  asset  to  a 
man  as  well  as  a  mark  of  his  education.  This  being  true, 
boys  and  girls  cannot  afford  to  persist  in  habits  of  speech 
that  continually  place  them  at  a  disadvantage. 

The  Value  of  a  Good  Oral  Use  of  English 

Advantages  at  School. — The  advantages  that  result  from 
a  good  command  of  oral  English  begin  to  manifest  them- 
selves very  early.  At  school  there  is  frequently  recurring 
evidence  that  it  pays  to  cultivate  good  habits  of  speech. 
In  the  mathematics  class  a  boy  may  be  able  to  work  out  a 
certain  problem;  but  if  his  slovenly  speech  hinders  him  from 
making  a  satisfactory  explanation,  he  cannot  be  credited 
with  understanding  it.  A  declension  in  German  may  be 
spoiled  by  faulty  articulation,  an  answer  to  a  question  in 
English,  by  mispronunciation,  and  a  statement  of  how  to 

3 


,4  ';.;,':.'.•; :  ORAL  ENGLISH 

care  for  a  plane  in  joinery  may  be  made  incomprehensibU 
by  awkward  sentences.  Other  things  being  equal,  the  stu- 
dent with  a  fair  command  of  spoken  EngUsh  will  always 
outrank  his  classmate  who  has  careless  habits  of  speech. 

Advantages  in  Social  Relations. — Then,  too,  in  meeting 
people  in  a  social  way  a  boy  or  girl  finds  it  a  great  advan- 
tage to  be  able  to  talk  well.  Wherever  one  goes,  he  will 
make  some  kind  of  impression  upon  the  people  he  meets. 
Whether  this  impression  be  favorable  or  not,  will  depend 
upon  his  general  appearance,  manners  and  conversation. 
Through  his  conversation  he  will  reveal  himself  most,  as 
it  is  easy  to  tell  by  the  way  he  talks  whether  a  boy  is  gentle- 
manly or  ungentlemanly,  modest  or  conceited,  painstaking 
or  careless,  intelligent  or  ignorant. 

The  boy  who  carefully  brushes  his  coat  and  combs  his 
hair,  but  never  tries  to  poHsh  his  speech,  uses  poor  judgment; 
so  does  the  girl  who  is  fastidious  regarding  the  colors  of  her 
dress,  but  makes  no  effort  to  soften  the  strident  tones  of  her 
voice.  Among  people  of  real  refinement  slovenly  speech  and 
harsh  voices  are  as  unwelcome  as  slovenliness  or  lack  of 
harmony  in  dress. 

Advantages  in  Business. — ^Desirable  as  it  is  to  be  able 
to  use  oral  English  well  in  social  relations,  it  is  many  times 
more  so  in  business.  Correct  written  English  for  business 
purposes  has  been  much  emphasized  by  textbooks  and 
teachers;  and  its  importance  has  not  been  exaggerated.  But 
it  is  time  that  oral  English,  anticipating  business  needs, 
should  receive  more  attention. 

As  soon  as  a  candidate  applies  in  person  for  a  position, 
he  is  judged  by  his  spoken  Enghsh.  No  matter  how  excellent 
a  letter  of  application  he  may  have  written,  if  he  makes  a 
poor  impression  in  a  personal  interview  with  his  prospective 
employer,  his  chances  of  securing  the  position  are  small. 


THE  VALUE  OF  ORAL  ENGLISH  6 

No  employer  wishes  a  secretary  with  a  high  pitched,  irritat- 
ing voice;  a  mumbling  clerk  whose  spoken  words  are  seldom 
understood;  a  hesitating,  stammering  assistant  who  cannot 
answer  inquiries  promptly  and  briefly;  a  diffident  salesman 
who  cannot  explain  the  superiority  of  goods  and  persuade  a 
deliberating  customer  to  buy;  or  a  superintendent,  dis- 
courteous in  speech,  who  offends  patrons  and  drives  them 
away. 

We  are  obliged  to  admit  that  business  people  are  more 
often  judged  by  their  spoken  words  than  they  are  by  their 
written  ones;  and  that  awkward  conversation,  slovenly 
utterance,  incorrect  pronunciation  and  disagreeable  voices 
all  count  against  them.  Knowing  this,  all  farseeing  boys 
and  girls  will  use  much  care  in  forming  their  habits  of  speech, 
in  order  that  their  spoken  English  may  always  be  a  help  and 
never  a  hindrance  to  them  in  business. 

Essential  for  Public  Speaking. — ^Besides  these  every 
day  advantages  that  come  from  a  good  command  of  oral 
English — advantages  that  should  be  more  often  pointed 
out  to  the  youth  of  our  country  than  they  are — there  also 
results  a  better  equipment  for  public  speaking.  To  speak 
in  public  one  must  have  confidence  in  himself,  and  confidence 
comes  from  the  realization  that  one  has  something  to  say 
and  can  say  it  well.  In  a  country  such  as  ours,  where  demo- 
cratic institutions  impose  many  responsibilities  upon  the 
individual  citizen,  men  are  expected  to  participate  in  many 
pubhc  gatherings  by  voicing  their  convictions.  We  have 
political  assemblies,  business  organizations,  religious  meet- 
ings, social  clubs,  athletic  associations,  leagues,  circles  and 
societies  without  number.  In  all  of  these,  mutual  interests 
must  be  discussed,  and  plans  for  new  activities  advocated; 
so  there  is  always  a  demand  for  the  person  who  can  think 
upon  his  feet  and  state  his  ideas  definitely  and  clearly.    Such 


6  ORAL  ENGLISH 

a  man,  if  he  is  upright  and  sincere,  will  become  influential 
among  his  associates — a  leader  among  men. 

Permanency  of  Attainments  in  Spoken  English. — The 
ability  to  use  oral  English  effectively,  cannot  be  attained 
suddenly,  neither  can  it  be  assumed  and  cast  aside  like  a 
garment.  It  must  be  developed  gradually  in  the  individual. 
A  boy  never  becomes  a  good  baseball  player  unless  he  is 
faithful  in  practice  and  heeds  the  advice  of  his  coach;  similarly 
without  repeated  efforts  to  read  and  speak  well,  and  atten- 
tion to  the  criticisms  of  his  instructor,  no  pupil  can  hope  to 
improve  his  vocal  expression.  There  must  be  rightly  di- 
rected and  persistent  effort  if  one  wishes  to  improve  his 
spoken  English;  but  whatever  proficiency  is  attained  in 
this  direction  becomes  a  part  of  a  man's  stock  in  trade  for 
life.  The  retention  of  the  art  of  speaking,  unlike  vocal  and 
instrumental  music,  does  not  depend  upon  practice.  It  is 
always  at  command — a  permanent  accomplishment. 

THE  DIVISIONS  OF  ORAL  ENGLISH 

How  the  Divisions  are  Related.  Oral  English  includes 
(1)  conversation  J  (2)  reading  aloud  and  (3)  public  speaking. 
In  all  of  these  the  same  organs  of  speech,  the  same  words, 
and  similar  varieties  of  tone  and  physical  response,  are  em- 
ployed. Conversation  and  public  address  are  most  alike. 
Indeed,  no  distinct  line  of  demarcation  can  be  drawn  be- 
tween them,  because  formal  conversation  with  a  score  or 
more  of  listeners  has  the  semblance  of  public  address,  and 
a  public  address  delivered  in  an  intimate  manner  to  a  small 
audience  has  the  semblance  of  conversation.  Generally 
speaking,  however,  conversation  is  intimate  and  informal, 
as  contrasted  with  the  dignity  of  public  address.  Ability 
to  converse  well  results  partly  from  one's  individual  attain- 


THE  DIVISIONS  OF  ORAL  ENGLISH  7 

ments,  and  partly  from  the  stimulus  of  the  occasion  or  of 
those  who  listen.  We  all  know  that  we  talk  better  with 
certain  people  than  with  others,  for  some  seem  to  call  forth 
our  best.  We  may  be  sure,  then,  that  ease  and  skill  in  con- 
versation come  not  only  from  a  well  rounded  development, 
but  also  from  the  cultivation  of  worthy  associates.  Reading 
aloud  is  distinctly  interpretive.  The  reader  tries  to  impress  I 
his  audience  with  what  the  author's  sentences  mean  to  him. 
Sometimes  conversationalists  and  public  speakers  really 
do  a  very  similar  thing,  for  they  quote,  paraphrase,  or  sum- 
marize what  they  have  read  or  heard.  There  are  plenty  of 
people  who  would  like  to  become  skillful  in  conversation  or 
public  speaking,  but  they  scorn  reading  aloud.  They  do  not 
appreciate  that  reading  aloud  is  the  very  best  kind  of  train- 
ing for  the  other  forms  of  oral  English. 

Poor  Spoken  English  Results  from  Little  Reading 
Aloud. — ^We  are  called  a  harsh  voiced,  slovenly-spoken  gen- 
eration, that  depreciates  the  proud  oral  traditions  of  the  past. 
The  reason  often  assigned  for  this  decay  in  our  manner  of 
speech,  is  that  we  so  generally  neglect  reading  aloud.  Bead- 
ing aloud  does  not  have  the  place  it  once  had  in  the  curricu- 
lum of  our  schools;  and  the  family  is  no  longer  a  reading 
circle,  as  in  the  days  of  our  grandfathers.  We  snatch  books 
and  magazines  and  devour  them  in  sohtude,  as  a  dog  grabs  a 
bone  and  retires  to  a  corner  for  a  solitary  feast.  We  pay  a 
dear  price  for  our  silent  reading,  because  we  miss  much  of 
the  beauty  and  form  of  literature  and  language. 

The  Cause  Suggests  a  Remedy. — By  considering  the 
cause  of  our  deficiency  in  spoken  English,  we  have  found 
a  remedy  for  it.  Some  one  has  said,  "Set  almost  any  one 
to  reading  a  book  aloud,  and  mark  the  degraded  wretched- 
ness of  his  utterance.  Keep  him  at  it,  and  mark  the  inevi- 
table improvement  in  his  speech." 


8  ORAL  ENGLISH 

The  Complexity  of  Oral  Reading. — Audible  reading  is  one 
of  the  most  complex  subjects  we  study.  In  the  reading  of  a 
single  sentence,  various  physical  and  mental  states  may  be 
manifested,  while  enunciation,  pronunciation,  accuracy,  time, 
pitch,  force,  quaUty  and  other  elements  are  wonderfully  com- 
bined. To  improve  in  oral  reading,  then,  we  must  know  what 
elements  contribute  to  good  reading  aloud,  and  find  out  in 
which  of  these  elements  we  are  weak.  The  weak  points  being 
known,  efforts  should  be  directed  to  strengthen  them. 

The  following  table  indicates  the  most  important  elements 
of  good  reading  aloud,  and  compares  these  items  with  the 
most  important  elements  of  good  spoken  English.  It  is 
readily  seen  that  both  call  forth  the  same  physical  control, 
the  same  vocal  powers,  the  same  attention  to  expression,  the 
same  effort  to  hold  the  audience  and  similar  mental  activities. 
For  this  reason,  cultivating  one's  power  in  oral  reading  will 
at  the  same  time  cultivate  his  EngHsh  in  conversation  or  in 
public  speaking. 

ELEMENTS  OF  GOOD  ORAL  ELEMENTS    OF    GOOD 

READING  SPOKEN  ENGLISH 

(Interpreting  the  thought  of  another)  (Expressing  one's  own  thought) 

I.  The  Formal  Elements 

1.  A  good  position  1.  A  good  position 

2.  Proper  control  of  breath  2.  Proper  control  of  breath 

3.  Distinct  enunciation  3.  Distinct  enunciation 

4.  Approved   pronunciation   of     4.  Approved   pronunciation   of 

words  words 

II.  Intellectual  Elements 

1.  Accuracy  —  not  omitting  or      1.  Facility  in  oral  composition 

changing  words 

2.  Appreciation  of  grammatical     2.  Application   of  grammatical 

relations  rules 


THE  DIVISIONS  OF  ORAL  ENGLISH 


9 


3.  A  vivid  imagination  to  pic- 

ture scenes  described 

4.  Mental  grasp  of  the  author's 

thought 


5.  Familiarity  with  many  words     5. 


Vivid  mental  pictures  with 
ability  to  describe  them 

Vital,  original  thought  di- 
rected to  serve  the  au- 
dience, the  occasion  and 
the  speaker's  purpose 

Abihty  to  use  many  words 
correctly 


III.  Emotional  Elements 


to   the      1 


1.  Emotional   response 

author's  thought 

2.  Emotional    sensitiveness 

which  feels  the  pulse  of  the 
audience 

3.  Ability  to  impress  the  hearers 

with  the  author's  thought 
and  hold  their  attention 

4.  An  acute  ear  —  keen  percep- 

tion (natural  or  acquired) 
of  vocal  effects 


to   the 


Emotional   response 
speaker's  thought 

2.  Emotional    sensitiveness 

which  feels  the  pulse  of  t-he 
audience 

3.  Ability  to  impress  the  hearers 

with  the  speaker's  own 
thought  and  hold  their 
attention 

4.  An  acute  ear  —  keen  percep- 

tion (natural  or  acquired) 
of  vocal  effects 


IV.  Technical  Elements 


Vocal  expression  —  a  man- 
agement of  the  voice  by 
time,  pitch,  force  and  qual- 
ity which  will  make  the 
vocal  effects  harmonize 
with  the  author's  thought 

Physical  response  to  the 
author's  thought  in  facial 
expression,  bearing  and 
gesture 


1.  Vocal   expression  —  a   man- 

agement of  the  voice  by 
time,  pitch,  force  and  qual- 
ity which  will  make  the 
vocal  effects  harmonize 
with  the  speaker's  thought 

2.  Physical    response    to    the 

speaker's  thought  in  facial 
expression,  bearing  and 
gesture. 


FORMAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH 

Having  analyzed  good  oral  reading  into  its  component 
elements,  and  compared  them  with  the  elements  of  good 
speech,  the  next  step  is  to  consider  each  of  the  elements  in 
turn,  that  we  may  find  out  how  it  contributes  to  excellence 
in  reading  aloud  and  efficiency  in  speech,  and  how  one  may 
improve  his  reading  and  speech  by  strengthening  that  par- 
ticular element. 

POSITION 

Effect  of  Position  upon  Voice. — The  position  assumed 
in  reading  or  speaking  should  always  be  considered,  because 
it  affects  the  voice,  the  speaker  himself  and  his  audience. 
The  voice  is  a  quick  reporter  of  physical  conditions:  for  a 
lifeless  tone  of  voice  results  from  taking  a  lazy  position,  a 
squeezed  tone  from  cramping  the  chest  and  throat,  and  an 
animated  tone  from  standing  alert.  By  the  poise  of  the 
head  the  tone  is  given  general  direction.  Bow  the  head, 
and  you  aim  the  tone  at  the  floor;  raise  the  chin,  and  you 
send  it  toward  the  ceiling.  A  marksman  aims  his  rifle  in  the 
direction  he  wishes  the  charge  to  travel.  We  should  aim 
the  voice  where  we  wish  it  to  go. 

Effect  of  Position  upon  the  Reader  or  Speaker. — In  a 
good  position  a  reader  (or  speaker)  is  less  Hkely  to  be  self- 
conscious  and  ill  at  ease.  He  forgets  that  he  has  hands  and 
feet,  and  feels  stronger  and  more  confident.  With  broadened 
chest,  he  gives  his  lungs  an  opportunity  to  breathe  freely 
and  easily,  so  that  he  can  swing  through  a  long  sentence 

10 


FORMAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH  11 

with  no  nervous  gaspings  for  fresh  suppHes  of  air.  From  such 
a  position,  the  speaker  can  easily  make  a  transition  to  an- 
other position,  or  enforce  his  thought  by  gesture.  If  then 
reading  or  speaking  is  prolonged,  he  will  be  less  fatigued  at 
the  close,  than  he  would  have  been  had  he  persisted  in  bad 
positions  throughout  his  reading  or  discourse. 

Effect  of  Speaker's  Position  upon  the  Audience. — As 
soon  as  a  speaker  steps  upon  a  platform,  the  auditors  an- 
ticipate the  character  of  his  address  from  his  walk,  and  his 
position  in  sitting  or  standing.  If  he  slouches  across  the 
stage  and  slumps  into  a  seat,  they  are  likely  to  be  more  or 
less  prejudiced  against  him  from  the  first.  A  bad,  early 
impression  of  this  kind  may  be  overcome,  but  only  with 
great  difficulty.  If  a  speaker  persists  all  through  his  lec- 
ture in  certain  mannerisms,  such  as  leaning  over  a  table  or 
running  his  fingers  through  his  hair,  the  audience  cannot 
help  thinking  more  about  his  actions,  than  they  do  about 
what  he  says.  Self  control  on  the  part  of  the  speaker  in 
manner  and  bearing  tends  to  concentrate  the  minds  of  the 
audience  upon  what  is  being  read  or  discussed;  and  any  ec- 
centricities that  detract  from  this  poise  are  always  reflected 
in  the  character  of  the  attention  given  by  the  listeners. 

Directions  for  a  Good  Standing  Position  in  Reading  or 
Speaking. — Exercises  given  in  gymnasia  for  securing  a 
correct  standing  position  are  famihar  to  all  teachers  and 
most  pupils,  and  can  be  introduced  in  the  oral  English  class 
at  the  discretion  of  the  teacher.  The  following  directions 
suggest  the  most  important  points  to  be  observed. 

1.  Stand  in  a  wide  awake  manner. 

2.  Place  the  weight  of  the  body  upon  one  foot. 

3.  Rest  the  other  foot  lightly  upon  the  floor. 

4.  See  that  the  weight  of  the  body  is  directly  over  the  ball  of 

the  supporting  foot. 


12  ORAL  ENGLISH 

5.  Hold  the  head  erect,  but  avoid  making  the  muscles  of  the 

neck  rigid. 

6.  Keep  the  shoulders  even,  and  move  them  upward  and  back- 

ward enough  to  broaden  the  chest,  but  not  far  enough  to 
narrow  the  back. 

7.  Raise  the  chest,  as  when  taking  a  deep  breath. 

8.  Hold  the  book  in  the  left  hand,  if  reading. 

9.  Let  the  right  hand  and  arm  hang  passively  at  the  side,  except 

when  needed  to  turn  the  pages. 
10.  When  without  a  book,  allow  both  arms  to  remain  passively  at 
the  sides  that  they  may  be  ready  any  instant  to  reinforce 
the  thought  by  gesture. 

Can  you  give  a  good  reason  for  complying  with  each  of  the 
above  directions? 

BREATHING 

Methods  of  Breathing. — The  control  of  the  breath  has 
an  important  effect  upon  reading  or  speaking.  Breathing 
properly  makes  the  voice  stronger  and  more  agreeable  in 
quality,  diminishes  the  amount  of  effort  on  the  part  of  the 
reader  (or  speaker),  and  promotes  the  health  of  the  throat 
and  vocal  organs. 

There  are  three  methods  of  breathing: 

1.  Thoracic  or  chest  breathing  when  the  air  is  drawn  into 
and  forced  from  the  lungs  by  the  raising  and  lowering  of  the 
chest,  accompanied  usually  by  a  similar  movement  of  the 
shoulders. 

2.  Costal  or  rib  breathing  when  breathing  is  accomplished 
by  the  movement  of  the  lower  ribs,  and  the  action  of  the 
muscles  between  them. 

3.  Abdominal  breathing  when  the  muscles  of  the  abdomen 
perform  the  work  of  emptying  and  filling  the  lungs. 

Correct  Breathing. — To  breathe  correctly,  one  should 
combine  the  costal  and  abdominal  methods:  inhaling  and 


FORMAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH  13 

exhaling  the  air  through  the  nose  and  not  through  the  mouth. 
By  combining  the  costal  and  abdominal  methods  of  breath- 
ing, a  large  volume  of  air  can  be  stored  in  the  lung  cavity, 
and  as  a  result  a  full,  round  tone  can  be  produced. 

Control  of  Breath. — To  control  the  breath  well  is  the 
next  consideration.  Only  sufficient  breath  to  produce  the 
words  should  be  allowed  to  pass  the  lips.  If  too  much  breath 
is  allowed  to  escape  while  speaking,  the  tones  become  breathy, 
the  vocalization  seems  labored,  the  sentences  are  chopped 
by  too  frequent  breathing  and  in  extreme  cases  there  may 
be  audible  gasping  for  breath. 

EXERCISES  FOR  DEEP  BREATHING 

In  all  breathing  exercises  inhale  and  exhale  through  the  nostrils, 
and  not  through  the  mouth. 

1.  Take  a  good  standing  position  with  the  weight  on  both  feet. 
Rise  on  the  toes  an  instant  to  see  that  the  weight  is  directly  over  the 
balls  of  the  feet.  While  inhaling,  raise  the  arms  slowly  to  a  horizon- 
tal position;  then  move  them  upward  till  you  can  lock  the  thumbs 
above  the  head.  Exhaling  slowly,  lower  the  arms  reversing  the 
movement,  till  they  are  in  position  at  the  sides. 

2.  Place  the  base  of  the  hands  upon  the  lower  ribs  with  the  fingers 
pointing  directly  forward  and  the  palms  parallel.  Inhaling  slowly, 
force  the  hands  as  far  apart  as  possible,  by  the  outward  movement 
of  the  lower  ribs  and  the  muscular  wall  of  the  chest.  Keeping  the 
hands  in  the  same  position,  push  against  the  lower  ribs  during  ex- 
piration, until  the  hands  are  as  near  to  each  other  as  extreme  con- 
traction of  the  chest  wall  will  bring  them.    Repeat  the  exercise. 

3.  Without  the  aid  of  the  hands  on  the  floating  ribs,  breathe 
deeply  and  deliberately,  and  endeavor  to  secure  as  free  a  movement 
of  the  lower  ribs  as  was  attained  in  exercise  number  two. 

4.  Inhaling  deliberately,  at  the  same  time  lower  the  head  directly 
backward.  Exhaling  in  a  like  manner,  raise  the  head  to  its  usual 
position.    Repeat  the  exercise. 


14  ORAL  ENGLISH 

5.  Take  a  full,  deep  breath.  Holding  the  air  in  the  lungs,  percuss 
the  chest  lightly  with  clenched  fists.  This  will  force  the  air  into  all 
the  cells  of  the  lungs  to  the  very  apexes. 

EXERCISES  FOR  CONTROL  OF  BREATH 

1.  Fill  the  lungs  well  with  air;  then  hum  with  the  lips  closed,  using 
only  enough  breath  to  produce  the  tone.  Stop  when  obliged  to 
breathe  again. 

2.  After  a  full  inflation  of  the  lungs,  give  the  sound  of  s,  economiz- 
ing the  breath  in  order  to  continue  the  sound  as  long  as  convenient 
with  one  breath. 

3.  Having  filled  the  lungs  to  their  capacity,  see  how  far  you  can 
count  without  taking  another  breath. 

4.  Vary  the  previous  exercise  by  endeavoring  to  repeat  the  alpha- 
bet several  times,  without  taking  more  air  into  the  lungs. 

5.  Pack  the  lungs  with  air,  then  purse  the  lips  as  in  whistling. 
Exhale  very  gradually,  producing  a  faint  whistling  tone,  until  the 
supply  of  air  is  exhausted.  Repeat,  timing  yourself  with  a  watch, 
to  see  for  how  many  seconds  you  can  give  the  whistling  tone. 

6.  Practice  reading  the  following  paragraph,  striving  to  use  as 
few  breaths  as  possible. 

But  when  eloquence  is  something  more  than  a  trick  of  art,  or 
a  juggle  with  words;  when  it  has  a  higher  aim  than  to  tickle  the  ear, 
or  to  charm  the  imagination  as  the  sparkling  eye  and  dazzling  scales 
of  the  serpent  enchant  the  hovering  bird;  when  it  has  a  higher  in- 
spiration than  that  which  produces  'Hhe  sounding  brass  and  tinkling 
cymbar'  of  merely  fascinating  speech;  when  it  is  armed  with  a 
thunderbolt  of  powerful  thought,  and  winged  with  lofty  feeling; 
when  the  electric  current  of  sympathy  is  established,  and  the  orator 
sends  upon  it  thrill  after  thrill  of  sentiment  and  emotion,  vibrating 
and  pulsating  to  the  sensibihties  of  his  hearers,  as  if  leir  very  heart 
strings  were  held  in  the  grasp  of  his  trembling  finger  •  when  it  strips 
those  to  whom  it  is  addressed  of  their  independence,  invests  them 
with  its  own  life,  and  makes  them  obedient  to  a  strange  nature, 
as  the  mighty  ocean  tides  follow  the  path  of  the  moon;  when  it 
divests  men  of  their  peculiar  qualities  and  affections,  and  turns  a 
vast  multitude  into  one  man,  giving  to  them  but  one  heart,  one 
pulse,  and  one  voice,  and  that  an  echo  of  the  speaker^s,  —  then, 


FORMAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH  15 

indeed,  it  becomes  not  only  a  delight,  but  a  power,  and  a  power 
greater  than  kings  or  military  chieftains  can  command. 

William  Matthews.* 

ENUNCIATION 

It  is  impossible  to  deal  with  the  topics  of  enunciation  and 
pronunciation  without  first  considering  the  vocal  apparatus 
and  the  elements  of  our  English  speech. 

The  Vocal  Apparatus 

The  Human  Voice  like   a  Musical  Instrument. — The 

human  voice  is  Hke  a  wind  instrument.  The  lungs  corre- 
spond to  the  bellows,  the  vocal  cords  to  the  strings,  and  the 
resonant  chambers  (the  nares,  pharynx,  mouth,  and  trachea) 
to  a  sounding  board  or  box.  The  column  of  air  rising  from 
the  lungs  during  expiration  causes  the  vocal  cords  to  vibrate. 
Their  vibrations  produce  a  tone,  high  or  low,  according  to 
their  taut  or  lax  condition,  and  the  tone  is  enlarged  or  re- 
echoed by  the  resonant  chambers.  If  the  vocal  apparatus  in- 
cluded nothing  else,  we  could  give  only  humming  tones  on 
the  various  pitches  of  the  scale.  But  the  tone  can  be  molded 
by  the  organs  of  articulation;  namely,  the  lips,  teeth,  tongue, 
and  palate.  This  enables  us  to  produce  a  great  variety  of 
sounds  simply  by  changing  the  adjustment  of  these  organs, 
and  making  the  mold  through  which  the  tone  passes  into 
different  shapes. 

The  Number  of  Vowel  and  Consonant  Elements  in  Eng- 
lish.— In  speaking  English,  we  adjust  the  organs  of  artic- 
ulation into  enough  different  positions  to  produce  twenty- 
five  distinct  vowel  sounds  (including  diphthongs,  but 
omitting  obscure  sounds)  and  twenty-six  distinct  consonant 
sounds.     Other  languages  have  some  sounds  that  do  not 

^  Reprinted  by  permission  of  Scott,  Foresman  &  Co. 


16  ORAL  ENGLISH 

occur  in  ours,  so  the  human  vocal  instrument  is  capable  of 
making  more  sounds  than  are  found  in  our  language. 

Elements  op  Language 

The  most  common  division  of  the  elements  of  English 
speech  is  into  vowels  and  consonants.  Vowels  are  produced 
by  the  tone  passing  freely  through  the  open  mouth.  Con- 
sonants are  formed  by  the  tone  passing  through  the  mouth 
when  it  is  obstructed  by  some  adjustment  of  the  lips,  teeth, 
tongue  or  palate.  Compare  the  formation  of  A  with  that 
of  B,  D  and  hard  G. 

The  elements  of  language  according  to  sounds  are  divided 
into  tonics,  subtonics  and  atonies.  The  tonics  are  clear,  open, 
unobstructed  tones.  All  vowels  and  diphthongs  belong  to 
this  class.  The  subtonics  are  undertones,  or  modified  tones  in 
which  the  voice  is  modified  by  the  organs  of  articulation, 
instead  of  passing  freely  through  the  open  mouth.  The 
atonies  are  sounds  without  tone  or  voice.  They  are  breath- 
ings modified  by  the  organs  of  articulation. 

Consonant  sounds,  when  considered  according  to  formation, 
are  divided  into  labials,  linguals  and  palatals.  Labials  are 
the  consonant  sounds  formed  chiefly  with  the  lips.  Linguals 
are  the  consonant  sounds  formed  chiefly  by  the  action  of 
the  tongue.  Palatals  are  the  consonant  sounds  formed  chiefly 
by  the  aid  of  the  palate.  Cognates  are  two  consonant  sounds 
formed  by  similar  positions  of  the  organs  of  articulation, 
one  of  which  is  a  subtonic  and  the  other  an  atonic.  B  and  P 
are  cognates. 

The  following  table  of  English  elements  will  assist  the 
pupil  in  learning  to  distinguish  English  vowel  and  consonant 
sounds  according  to  sound,  and  the  consonants  according 
to  formation. 


FORMAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH 


!■} 


TONICS 

SUBTONICS 

ATONICS 

A 

(Bbib 

Ppipe 

£ 
I 

Labials    ^ 

Mmum 
V  vivid 

Labials 

Ffife 

0 

,  Wwild 

WHwhen 

Vowels 

U 

W  (some- 

Rrice 

R  press 

times) 

L  likely 

L  flame 

Y  (some- 

Ddid 

T  tight 

^        times) 

LiNGUALS 

Nnun 
J  judge 

Linguals  ' 

CH  child 

Zzone 

Sson 

THthen 

TH  thin 

OU 

ow 

01 

ZH  azure 

^  SH  shun 

Diphthongs 

Ggag 

[Kkick 

OY 

Palatals 

NG  ring 

Palatals 

[Yyet 

Ytune 
Hhow 

A  third  sound  of  R  known  as  Glide  R  is  the  sound  of  R  as 
it  occurs  immediately  after  a  vowel,  as  in  dare,  garnety  fear, 
hurlj  etc. 

Y  itself  never  is  an  atonic  sound,  but  as  the  initial  sound 
of  long  U  is  Yy  we  get  the  effect  of  atonic  Y  in  the  word  tune 
just  as  we  have  atonic  R  in  press  and  atonic  L  inflame. 

Notice  that  H  has  no  cognate. 
I  Good  Enunciation  Essential  to  Good  Oral  English. — 
tOne  of  the  prime  essentials  of  good  oral  English  is  distinct 
enunciation.  The  entire  purpose  of  conversation,  reading  or 
public  speaking  is  defeated,  if  the  speaker  does  not  make 
himself  clearly  heard.  Such  a  speaker  or  reader  might  better 
remain  silent;  for  people  cannot  feel  otherwise  than  im- 
patient, insulted  and  bored  when  compelled  to  strain  their 


18  ORAL  ENGLISH 

ears  trying  to  understand  a  speaker's  half  articulated  sen- 
tences. 

Good  Enunciation  Defined. — Good  enunciation  is  the 
utterance  of  elementary  sounds  by  precise  and  accurate 
movements  of  the  organs  of  articulation,  so  that  the  sounds 
are  clear  cut  in  form  and  distinctly  audible. 

Aids  to  Good  Enunciation 

As  aids  to  good  enunciation,  one  should  aim  to 
1.  control  the  breath  well,  that  breathy  utterance  may 
be  avoided 
V    2.  secure  a  free  movement  of  the  lower  jaw,  that  the  tone 
may  escape  through  a  well  opened  mouth 

3.  gain  mobility  of  the  lips 

4.  retain  the  tongue  in  the  mouth,  that  lisping  may  not 
\  mar  speech 

5.  focus  the  tone  in  front  of  the  face,  not  in  the  mouth 

or  throat 

6.  develop  resonance  of  voice,  that  there  may  be  no 

nasality 

7.  utter  words  with  such  a  degree  of  promptness,  that 

there  may  be  no  suggestion  of  drawling  them 

8.  shun  the  habit  of  rapid  utterance,  and  the  running  of 

words  together 

9.  pronounce  beginning  and  final  consonants  with  es- 

pecial care 

10.  give  subtonic  consonants  their  full  value,  that  they 

may  not  become  atonies 

11.  train  the  organs  of  articulation  to  take  an  accurate 

position  for  each  consonant  element. 
Enunciation  Allied  with  the  Utterance  of  Consonants. — 
It  is  evident  that  enunciation  depends  largely  upon  the 


Place  the  Fingers  Upon  the  Throat 


FORMAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH  19 

manner  in  which  consonant  sounds  are  uttered;  while  pro- 
nunciation is  more  intimately  related  to  the  production  of 
vowel  sounds.  For  this  reason,  some  knowledge  of  the 
formation  of  the  various  consonant  sounds,  with  drill  upon 
those  sounds  taken  alone  and  in  various  combinations, 
proves  helpful  in  gaining  better  habits  of  enunciation. 

GRADED  LESSONS  IN  ENUNCIATION 
LESSON  I 
B  and  P 

Recall  the  difference  in  formation  between  vowels  and 
consonants. 

Give  an  illustration  of  each. 

How  are  consonants  divided  according  to  formation? 

Illustrate  each  class. 

To  which  class  do  B  and  P  belong? 

With  the  fingers  upon  the  throat  near  the  voice  box 
(see  illustration),  pronounce  the  words  book  and  pound,  and 
compare ,the  production  of  B  and  P, 

Watch  one  of  your  classmates  while  he  pronounces  the 
same  two  words,  and  note  the  action  of  his  lips  for  B  and  P, 

In  what  way  are  B  and  P  alike? 

In  what  respect  are  they  different? 

Practice  reading  the  following  sentences,  taking  care  to 
enunciate  the  consonants  B  and  P  accurately. 

Whisper  the  sentences  with  exaggerated  lip  action,  and 
then  speak  them  in  the  clearest  possible  conversational  tone. 

B  ''The  brute  bullet  broke  through  the  brain  that  could  think 

for  the  rest.^^ 

B  Bettie  Botta  bought  a  bit  of  butter.     "But,"  she  said, 

''this  butter's  bitter;  if  I  put  it  in  my  batter,  it  will  make 


20 


ORAL  ENGLISH 


my  batter  bitter;  but  a  bit  of  better  butter  will  mak^ 
my  bitter  batter  better." 


Position  for  B 


1.  Nares 

2.  Palate 

3.  Roof  of  Mouth 

4.  Upper  Gum 

5.  Upper  Lip 

6.  Lower  Lip 

7.  Point  of  Tongue 

8.  Top  of  Tongue 

9.  Back  of  Tongue 

10.  Epiglottis 

11.  Esophagus 

12.  Vocal  chords  vibrating 


BD       The  robed  scribe  scrubbed  and  rubbed  the  ribbed  board. 

BL       Cable  blamed  the  bleak  blast  for  his  bhghted  blooms. 

BR  Brayton  brought  his  bride  brown  brocades  and  bright,  brazen 
brackets. 

BZ  Gibbs  broke  two  ribs  when  caught  between  the  hubs  of 
the  cabs. 

BLD  He  was  so  humbled,  because  he  had  gambled  and  lost,  that 
he  trembled  and  stumbled  on  the  pebbled  walk  and  was 
disabled. 

BLZ  Mr.  Bumble's  footman  stumbles  about  the  stables,  quib- 
bles and  squabbles  over  baubles,  and  doubles  his  trou- 
bles. 

P  Pittsburgh's  portly  pitcher  practiced  putting  parabolas  past 

the  plate,  and  promptly  paralyzed  Painesville's  opposing 
players. 

PL  0  good  planter!  Please  pluck  a  platter  of  plump  plums 
from  the  plentiful  plot  on  the  plateau. 

PN  Sharpen  your  ax,  deepen  the  groove  in  the  misshapen  aspen 
branch,  and  then  tie  it  with  a  hempen  rope. 


FORMAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH 


21 


PR  The  prosaic  priest's  pronounced  reproof  of  imprudent  pranks, 
provoked  the  profligate  and  profane  to  protest. 

PS  He  strips  the  shops,  ships  over  the  deeps  heaps  of  grapes, 
scollops,  caps,  tops,  and  whips  and  hopes  while  he  sleeps 
to  escape  the  cops. 

PT  Accepting  the  adept's  advice,  I  leapt 
from  the  ground,  crept  to  the  knoll, 
whipt  my  field  glass  from  its  case 
and  swept  with  rapt  gaze  the  cloud- 
capped  mountains. 

PTH    Who  knows  the  depth  of  the  sea? 

PLD  As  the  current  rippled  along,  the  men 
grappled  and  toppled  into  the  tide. 

PLZ  Mr.  Popple's  apples  are  worth  many 
opals. 

PND  When  the  new  market  opened,  the 

rivalry  sharpened  and  prices  cheap-        Position  for  P 
ened. 

PNZ    If  nothing  happens,  the  pod  opens  when  it  ripens. 

PST  Much  time  has  elapsed,  but  still  thou  dipp'st  thy  spoon 
daintily  and  sipp'st  thy  tea  leisurely. 


LESSON  n 

M 


Pronounce  the  word  aim,  observing  how  the  sound  of  M 
is  made. 

According  to  formation,  what  kind  of  a  consonant  is  Mf 

With  the  fingers  on  the  throat,  pronounce  the  word  again. 
To  which  division  according  to  sound,  does  it  belong? 

Compare  the  way  M  is  made  with  the  way  you  make  the 
sounds  of  B  and  P. 

Pronounce  cah,  cap  and  am,  noticing  how  you  finish  the 
three  consonant  sounds  ending  those  words.     You  will  ob- 


22  ORAL  ENGLISH 

serve  that  the  lips  are  separated  in  finishing  the  sounds  of 
B  and  P,  but  remain  together  for  M. 

Try  to  prolong  these  three  sounds. 
How  does  M  differ  from  the  two  other 
sounds  in  this  exercise? 

Prolong  the  sound  of  M  again,  ob- 
serving its  peculiar  resonance.  Where 
does  the  resonance  seem  to  come  from? 
M  is  sometimes  called  a  nasal  ele- 
ment. Can  you  tell  why  it  is  so 
called? 

Use  the  following  sentences  for  prac- 
Position  for  M       tice,   until   you   can   make   M  in   any 
combination,    with    accurate    lip    action,    good    resonance 
and  distinctness. 

M  Milwaukee's  museum  manager  mustered  mammoth  mam- 
mals, mischievous  monkeys,  embalmed  mummies,  mounted 
mink,  minute  mollusks,  a  mysterious  mermaid  and  many 
more  amazing  marvels. 

MD  The  plumed  knight,  famed  for  unnamed  deeds,  was  ashamed 
that  he  had  roamed  about  unarmed. 

MF  Doctor  Humphrey's  experiment  on  the  lymph  was  a  great 
triumph. 

MP  From  the  camp,  we  saw  the  humpbacked  tramp  limp  toward 
the  swamp  and  slump  down  in  the  hemp  near  a  stump. 

MZ  In  his  dreams,  he  seems  to  leave  his  rooms  and  roams  among 
the  tombs. 

MPS  Under  the  crimson  lamps,  the  imp  thumps  the  table,  and 
trumps  the  chump's  card. 

MPT  The  unkempt  man,  when  promptly  told  by  the  judge  that 
he  was  not  exempt  from  the  law,  jumped  forward  and 
stamped. 

MTH  No  warmth  could  warm  him. 


FORMAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH 


23 


LESSON  m 

F  and  i^    ' 

Pronounce  the  word  van.  Describe  the  position  of  the  lips 
while  producing  the  sound  of  V. 

Pronounce  the  word  fame.  Compare  the  position  of  the 
lips  in  making  F  with  the  position  required  for  V. 

What  are  V  and  F  according  to  formation? 


Position  for  V 


Position  for  F 


With  the  fingers  on  the  throat,  give  the  sound  of  V  and 
then  the  sound  of  F.    What  are  V  and  F  according  to  sound? 

Can  these  two  sounds  be  prolonged?  What  other  con- 
sonant sound  have  we  considered  that  can  be  prolonged? 

V  and  F  occur  in  a  variety  of  combinations.  Master  them 
all  by  a  correct  position  of  the  lower  lip  against  the  upper 
teeth,  and  by  plenty  of  practice. 

V  A  vagrant  and  voluble  ventriloquist  visited  five  velvet- 
vested  vergers,  and  voijchsafing  imitative  ventures  on  the 
veranda,  he  raved  like  a  violent  votary  vilifying  vicious 
vixens,  vulgar  vagabonds  and  vile  vandals. 

VD  When  the  depraved  and  unnerved  man  revived,  he  heaved  a 
sigh  and  said  he  believed  he  had  been  deceived. 


24  ORAL  ENGLISH 

VL  The  frfvolous  group  of  cavalry  reveled  as  they  traveled  along 
the  level,  graveled  road,  and  were  uncivil  to  the  naval  cadet 
at  the  hovel. 

VN  Stephen  had  driven  eleven  miles  to  New  Haven  with  seven 
witnesses,  but  even  then  the  sloven  was  proven  a  craven. 

VZ  We,  ourselves,  read  how  the  elves  from  the  caves  having 
seized  the  loaves  from  the  shelves,  made  dives  into  the 
waves;  while  the  wives  following  them  with  gyves  lost 
their  lives. 

VW    It  was  near  the  reservoir  that  the  knight  did  his  devoir. 

VLD  We  marveled  at  the  patient  sister  deviled  by  the  dishevelled 
idiot,  who  only  driveled  and  sniveled  as  he  unraveled  her 
knitting. 

VST  Believ'st  thou  that  if  thou  leav^st  home  and  liv'st  among 
strangers,  thou  reliev^st  thyself  of  responsibility? 

F  The  French  frigates  facing  the  foreign  foe  and  fearing  to 
fight  the  famous  fleet,  fired  frequent,  futile  fusilades  and 
fled  over  the  flood. 

FL  The  flag  floats  and  flutters  on  the  staff,  the  tent  flap  flops 
flauntingly,  and  a  flock  of  flickers  fleck  and  flit  in  their 
flight,  as  Floyd  muffles  his  flute  and  flatters  flaxen  haired 
Florence. 

FN     Stiffen  your  fingers,  and  place  a  hyphen  in  the  word  between 
roughen  and  orphan. 
You  will  deafen  me,  if  you  do  not  soften  your  voice  more 
often. 

FR  Frenches  freak  friend  frequented  the  fraternity  on  Fridays, 
until  Fred  freezingly  frowned  at  his  freshness  and  frankly 
called  him  a  fraud. 

FS  From  the  roofs  of  the  town,  we  saw  the  bailiff^s  skiff  laden 
with  heavy  stuffs  flounder  on  the  reefs  near  the  cliffs. 

FT  Bereft  of  the  gift  and  cut  adrift  to  shift  alone,  the  daft  and 
crafty  fellow  oft  committed  deft  thefts  and  forged  drafts. 

FLD  Our  guide  shuffled  through  the  corridor,  and  led  us  to  a  close 
room  where  men  scuffled  and  we  nearly  stifled;  but  we  re- 
mained until  the  rifled  loot  was  raffled  off. 

FLZ  The  hag  muffles  herself  in  a  dress  of  ruffles  that  baffles  descrip^ 
tion,  shuffles  along  the  street,  and  snuffles  at  trifles. 


FORMAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH 


25 


FST  He  that  snuff'st,  scoff'st  and  laugh'st  at  the  unfortunate,  is 
worse  than  he  that  rebuff'st  a  friend. 

FTH  The  fifth  of  the  month  was  Richard's  twelfth  birthday. 

FTS  He  commits  no  thefts  and  accepts  no  gifts;  but  sleeps  in  lofts 
where  the  snow  often  sifts  in  forming  drifts,  and  the  wind 
when  it  shifts  chills  him  with  drafts. 


LESSON  IV 
W  and  WH 

Name  the  labials  studied  in  the  last  three  lessons. 

Pronouncing  the  word  war,  observe  the  movement  neces- 
sary to  produce  the  sound  of  W.  To  what  class  does  W  be- 
long according  to  formation?  Apply  the  usual  test  (placing  the 
fingers  on  the  throat)  and  tell  what  W  is  according  to  sound. 


Position  for  WH 

Pronounce  what,  noting  how  WH  is  formed.  Here  we  have 
two  consonants  standing  for  the  sound  that  we  make  and 
hear. 

Pronounce  whey,  whelp  and  whinyard.  With  what  sound 
does  WH  begin?  Notice  that  the  combination  Is  really  HW 
instead  of  WH  in  all  such  words. 


26  ORAL  ENGLISH 

To  what  class  does  WH  belong  according  to  form?  To 
what  class  according  to  sound? 

Can  W  and  WH  be  prolonged? 

Do  W  and  WH  illustrate  cognates?  Name  all  the  cognates 
that  are  labials. 

Note.  W  is  never  immediately  followed  by  any  consonant  sound; 
because  WH  is  really  pronounced  HW,  and  words  like  wrong,  wrought 
and  wrestle  have  the  W  silent. 

W  Will  Willie  win  Wilmington's  wingmanship  wallet?  WiUie  will. 
Worn  and  wan  with  worry,  wayward  Walter  wakened,  washed 
wearily,  w^elcomed  the  waiter  with  warm  waffles,  went  wan- 
dering widely  wishing  for  work;  but  while  walking,  wended 
his  way  to  widow  William's  waxworks,  where  wags  and  wit- 
less women  waste  their  wages. 

Note.  People  familiar  with  certain  foreign  languages,  have  difficulty 
with  the  English  W,  substituting  for  it  the  sound  of  F.  In  such  cases, 
the  following  paragraph  with  both  W  and  V  occurring  frequently,  gives 
good  practice  for  differentiating  the  two  sounds. 

W  and  V  On  Wednesday  we  took  a  vender's  wagon,  and  ventured 
on  our  way  west  from  Vanwert.  We  voted  to  wire  ahead  for 
warm  viands  at  Waverley.  When  we  arrived  at  Waverley, 
we  viewed  a  vacant  looking  hotel  with  a  wide  veranda. 
There  a  vulgar  woman  wondered  why  we  vexed  her  with 
extra  work;  and  later  a  vivacious  wench,  as  a  waitress, 
served  us  with  warm  veal,  wilted  vegetables,  vanilla  wafers, 
very  vile  wine  and  vermicious  walnuts. 

Note.  Frequently  we  hear  WH  pronounced  exactly  like  TF,  as 
wither  for  whither,  warf  for  wharf,  etc.  Practice  on  the  following  sen- 
tences, till  you  are  positive  you  do  not  make  this  error. 

WH  (HW)  What  whim  led  White  Whitney  to  whittle,  whistle  and 
whimper  near  the  wharf  where  the  floundering  whale  did 
wheel  and  whirl? 

While  wheeling  wheat  to  the  wharf,  Whipple  Whitmore 
whetted  with  whiffs  of  whiskey,  whipped  and  whacked  his 
white  mare  until  she  wheezed  and  whinnied. 
He  did  not  say  bad  wig,  care  whether,  long  weal  and  proud 
whale;  but  mad  whig,  fair  weather,  strong  wheel  and  loud  wail. 


FORMAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH  27 

LESSON  V 
L 

Observe  the  action  of  the  vocal  organs  in  producing  L, 
as  in  the  word  land.  Notice  the  position  of  the  point  of  the 
tongue,  and  how  the  voice  passes  at  the  sides.  Compare  L 
in  land  with  L  in  fled. 

What  other  consonants  are  made  with  the  point  of  the 
tongue  in  a  similar  position? 


Position  for  L  Position  for  L  as  in 

Flour 

Classify  L  in  the  word  land  according  to  formation  and 
sound. 

Classify  L  in  the  word  fled  according  to  formation  and 
sound. 

Can  the  sound  of  L  be  prolonged? 

Drilling  on  the  sound  of  L  in  its  various  combinations,  will 
aid  in  securing  muscular  control  of  the  tongue. 

L         A  lively,  little  linnet  lives  in  our  leafy  locust,  and  lilts  love 
lyrics  at  my  lattice. 

LB      The  priest  wearing  an  alb,  used  a  simile  about  a  bulb. 


28  ORAL  ENGLISH 

LD  When  the  bold  child  spoiled  the  gold  and  jeweled  shield  and 
was  scolded,  he  wailed  and  howled  wildly  and  sprawled 
about  the  field. 

LF       The  elf,  sylph  and  wolf  met  at  the  gulf  to  divide  their  pelf. 

LK      Skulk  near  the  pen,  and  touch  the  young  elk's  silk-like  fur. 

LM      If  the  elm  tree  fall,  it  will  overwhelm  the  settler's  shanty. 

LN  Helen  had  stolen  to  the  pier  and  fallen  into  the  sullen  and 
swollen  tide. 

LP  Before  help  came,  the  Indian  whelp  took  the  scalp  and  rushed 
away  over  the  kelp. 

LS  Do  nothing  to  convulse  the  patient,  or  else  the  report  of  his 
pulse  will  be  false. 

LT  It  was  not  my  fault  that  the  dolt  of  a  colt  made  a  halt  when 
I  dealt  him  a  blow  that  he  felt. 

LV  Even  if  the  problem  involve  twelve  hours  of  work,  he  will 
delve  away  and  solve  it. 

LZ  The  donkey  toils  over  the  hills  carrying  the  mails  for  miles, 
then  fools  with  his  driver  and  soils  his  coat  as  he  rolls  in 
the  sandy  holes. 

LCH   See  the  water  belch  forth  into  the  gulch. 

LDZ  He  builds  air  castles,  folds  his  arms  and  holds  that  all  the 
world's  hopes  are  his. 

LFT    The  city  of  Delft  has  never  been  in  danger  of  being  engulfed. 

LKS    The  bulks  of  the  hulks  were  above  water. 

LKT    Has  the  cow  been  milked? 

LMD  His  grief  overwhelmed  him. 

LMZ  Where  did  the  helmsman  lose  his  films? 

LPS     In  the  Alps  we  heard  the  yelps  of  Colp^s  dog. 

LPT  He  gulped  down  a  big  drink,  and  then  sculped  his  initials  in 
the  limestone. 

LST    "  Then  if  thou  f all'st,  0  Cromwell ! 
Thou  fall'st  a  blessed  martyr." 

LTH  It  was  inexcusable  for  a  man  of  wealth  to  live  in  such  filth 
and  lose  his  health. 


FORMAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH 


29 


LTS     Most  adults  see  the  results  of  petty  faults. 

LVD    James  evolved  a  new  method  by  which  the  problem  could  be 
solved. 

LVZ     The  wolves  knocked  down  the  ax  helves  from  the  shelves. 


LESSON  VI 

R 

R  really  has  three  sounds.  First,  the  regular  consonant  R, 
a  subtonic  characterized  by  a  burring  or  rolling  sound  in  the 
throat,  as  in  rowdy,  hrown  and  reel.     Second,  the  atonic  R, 


Position  for  ii^  as  in 
Rowdy 


Position  for  R  as  in 
Pride 


much  softer  than  the  first  Ry  occurring  when  R  follows  an 
atonic  consonant  and  precedes  a  vowel,  as  in  pride,  trip  and 
free.  Third,  glide  R,  following  a  vowel  in  the  same  syllable, 
as  in  arm,  affirm  and  answer. 

Note.  When  the  consonant  R  is  followed  by  H,  as  in  rhetoric,  rhuharh 
and  rhyme,  the  H  is  silent.  Consonant  R  is  never  immediately  followed 
by  any  other  consonant. 

Classify  R  according  to  formation.  Drill  on  the  following 
sentences  as  exercises  for  attaining  perfect  command  of  R 


30  ORAL  ENGLISH 

in  its  various  forms  and  combinations.    Trilling  E  is  a  good 
exercise  for  securing  control  of  the  tongue. 

R  (subtonic)  Reviewing  the  rippling  river  and  rough  rocks,  the 
rambling  ruin  rises,  redolent  of  romance,  with  ranging 
recesses  now  a  retreat  for  rabbits,  and  ramparts  a  roost 
for  ravens  and  rooks. 

R  (atonic)  Throughout  the  spring,  the  shrewd  French  trapper  fre- 
quently proved  his  prowess  to  the  treacherous  tribes  by 
thrilling  the  crafty  creatures  with  his  crack  shooting. 

R  (glide)  Wiring  at  the  pier  for  a  touring  car,  the  chauffeur  whirled 
us  northward  until,  near  the  Singer  tower,  a  sharp  report 
made  us  aware  of  a  punctured  tire. 

RB  While  walking  and  conjugating  a  verb,  Clara  tore  her  dress 
on  a  barb. 

RD  On  the  third  day,  we  crossed  a  ford  to  the  laird^s  yard,  where 
we  sat  on  a  hard  board  and  heard  a  long-haired  bard. 

RF  The  dwarf  with  the  bright  scarf  left  the  turf  for  the  wharf 
to  watch  the  surf. 

RG      Then  we  saw  our  first  iceberg. 

RK      Lurk  in  the  dark  and  mark  if  the  clerk  shirk  his  work. 

RM  Before  the  alarm  of  the  storm  on  that  warm  day  at  the  farm, 
the  swarm  was  out  of  harm. 

RN  Mr.  Horn  from  the  tavern  scorned  the  corn  at  the  northern 
side  of  the  barn. 

RP  The  birds  of  the  thorp  usurp  the  shade  trees,  and  chirp  with 
sharp  notes. 

RS  DeMars  gathers  numbers  of  barbers,  grocers,  traders, 
loungers  and  idlers;  and  tells  them  his  fears  about  la- 
borer's hours. 

RT  On  the  alert,  Robert  darted  after  the  runaway  horse  and 
cart  with  a  smart  spurt,  but  tripped  and  was  hurt. 

RV  You  deserve  to  starve,  if  you  lose  your  nerve  and  swerve 
from  your  ideal. 

RBD    The  horse  was  not  disturbed  when  tightly  curbed. 

RBS     With  her  orbs  dilated,  she  absorbs  the  beauty  of  the  suburbs, 


FORMAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH  31 

RDS  Edward's  story  of  the  birds  and  leopards  accords  with  that 
of  the  guards. 

RKD  He  marked  the  way  the  dog  barked,  jerked  his  head  back 
and  smirked. 

RKS  Old  Dierks  works  in  the  parks,  and  smirks  when  he  harks  to 
a  lark's  song. 

RMD  Julian  termed  himself  a  poet,  charmed  a  few  society  people 
and  wormed  himself  into  favor. 

RND  Although  Henry  was  warned  that  he  had  not  earned  his  wages 
and  would  be  turned  away,  yet  he  was  unconcerned. 

RNS  Orphan  Mary  churns  the  butter,  turns  the  griddle-cakes, 
adorns  thej^oom  with  ferns,  darns  socks,  draws  patterns, 
learns  to  sew  and  earns  her  board  and  keep. 

RTH  It  was  worth  the  earth  to  see  the  mirth  of  our  friend  from 
the  North  on  the  Fourth. 

RVD  The  inscription  was  preserved  where  it  was  carved  on  the 
curved  surface. 

RVS  The  chief  deserves  credit  as  long  as  he  preserves  order  on 
the  wharves. 

LESSON  VII 
*  Z)  and  T 

Observing  yourself  in  a  mirror,  pronounce  the  word  did 
slowly,  noting  how  the  organs  of  articulation  produce  the 
sound  of  D, 

To  what  class  of  consonants  according  to  formation,  does 
D  belong?  Apply  the  usual  test,  and  then  tell  what  it  is 
according  to  sound. 

Pronounce  the  word  tight  Compare  the  production  of 
the  consonant  T  with  the  way  you  produced  D.  Classify  T 
according  to  formation  and  according  to  sound. 

Can  the  sounds  of  D  and  T  be  prolonged?  How  do  you  end 
the  sounds  of  D  and  Tf 


32 


ORAL  ENGLISH 


What  are  cognates?    Wliat  is  the  cognate  of  D? 
The  consonants  D  and  T  are  often  slighted;  and,  some- 
times, even  omitted  in  speech.     Practice  on  the  following 


Position  for  D 


Position  for  T 


sentences,  until  you  give  D  and  T  their  full  value  in  the 
various  combinations,  especially  at  the  end  of  syllables  or 
words. 

D  The  determined  Doctor,  doubting  the  duke's  daring  de- 

fense, demanded  that  Dean  Dorchester  discuss  the  deed 
in  debate;  but  the  Dean  declined,  deciding  that  the  dis- 
charge of  his  duties  admitted  no  digression. 

DL  You  addle-brained,  idle  baby  just  out  of  the  cradle,  don't 
twiddle  your  thumbs;  but  tighten  that  girdle,  and  hold 
this  horse  by  the  bridle  while  I  straddle  the  saddle. 

DN  When  the  warden  laden  with  a  wooden  box  and  emboldened 
by  the  leaden  sky,  widened  the  garden  gate,  the  maiden 
hidden  by  a  tree  suddenly  screamed,  causing  him  to  drop 
his  burden. 

DR  The  droll  druggist,  dead  drunk  and  drenched  by  the  driving 
drizzle,  dropped  into  a  drawing  room  chair  to  drowse  and 
dreamed  of  dreadful  dragons. 

DZ  Tell  the  maids  that  the  brown  stain  made  on  the  goods  by 
strange  liquids,  needs  only  suds  to  remove  it. 

DW      Dwight,  the  dwindling  dwarf,  dwells  in  Dwightville. 


FORMAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH  33 

DLD  He  has  been  so  dandled  and  coddled  since  he  first  toddled, 
that  he  has  dawdled  his  time  away,  and  dwindled  and 
spindled  into  naught. 

DLZ  Carrying  his  toy  fiddles  in  two  bundles,  he  fondles  his  pet 
poodles,  carelessly  paddles  through  puddles,  and  peddles 
candles,  handles,  needles  and  medals. 

DST  When  thou  said'st  amidst  the  officers  that  thou  feared'st 
no  enemy,  thou  did'st  lie. 

DTH  For  the  hundredth  time  he  told  her  the  width  of  a  breadth 
of  carpet. 

DTHS  The  widths  of  the  breadths  varied  from  one  and  seven 
eighths  to  one  and  eleven  hundredths  yards. 

T  A  tutor  who  tooted  the  flute, 

Tried  to  teach  two  young  tooters  to  toot;  * 

Said  the  two  to  the  tutor, 

^^Is  it  harder  to  toot,  or 

To  tutor  two  tooters  to  toot?" 

To-day  the  tactless  and  taciturn  lecturer  tabulated  tedious 
technical  terms  about  tadpoles;  till  ten  tantalized  at- 
tendants lost  their  tempers  and  left  the  tent. 

TL  The  only  sounds  in  the  kitchen  were  the  prattle  of  the  chil- 
dren on  the  settle,  the  hum  of  the  kettle,  the  drone  of  a 
beetle,  the  subtle  song  of  the  gentle,  little  woman  at  the 
loom,  and  the  rattle  of  the  shuttle. 

TN  The  instructor  remarked,  "I  do  not  wish  to  dishearten  you; 
but  if  you  will  shorten  your  theme,  brighten  it  by  figures, 
lighten  it  by  omitting  heavy  words,  and  sweeten  it  with 
an  optimistic  point  of  view,  you  will  improve  what  you 
have  written  on  The  Observance  of  the  Lenten  Season." 

TR  True  to  traditional  traits,  the  tribe  treated  the  trapper  with 
tributes  of  truce,  and  tramped  triumphantly  through  a 
treeless  tract,  tooting  trumpets. 

TS  He  writes  of  his  mates'  treats,  the  cool  nights,  his  feats  on 
different  dates,  aeroplane  flights  and  seats  at  the  theatre. 

TW  Tell  the  twaddling  twins  that  the  tweezers  will  twitch  the 
twisted  twine  in  twain  in  a  twinkling. 

TLD  Nettled  at  the  intrusion,  the  officer  battled  with  the  strangel 
and  throttled  him. 


34 


ORAL  ENGLISH 


TLZ      He  startles  nobody,  when  he  prattles  of  titles  and  battles. 

TST      If  thou  fight^st  thy  brother  and  put'st  him  to  shame,  thou 
surely  hat'st  him. 


LESSON  VIII 


N 


Pronounce  the  word  sun,  giving  attention  to  the  action  of 
the  organs  of  articulation  in  producing  the  sound  of  N. 

To  what  class  of  consonants  accord- 
ing to  formation,  does  N  belong?  To 
what  class  according  to  sound? 

Compare  the  production  of  the  sound 
of  N  with  that  of  D.  In  what  par- 
ticulars are  they  alike? 

Compare  N  with  T,  In  what  respect 
are  they  similar?  In  what  are  they 
different? 

Compare  N  with  M,  What  is  the 
similarity  between  the  two? 


Position  for  A^ 


N  Nobody  knew  my  noble  neighbor's  name  till  November 
ninth,  when  Nicholas  North,  a  native  of  Natchez,  nomi- 
nated him  for  naval  inspector. 

ND  In  a  second,  my  friend  kindly  attended  the  blind  man  round 
the  winding  path  to  the  grand  stand,  where  he  could  hear 
the  blending  notes  of  the  band. 

NJ  Without  a  cringe,  the  conjurer  lunged  and  caught  the  orange, 
singed  it  in  a  flame,  and  plunged  it  in  water. 

NS  In  the  presence  of  the  audience,  the  singer's  diffidence  changed 
to  assurance;  and  his  entrancing  cadences  won  intense 
silence. 

NT  The  president  is  pleasant  and  gallant  with  acquaintances, 
patient  and  lenient  with  servants,  blunt  and  pointed  with 
verdant  agents,  and  dauntless  and  valiant  as  a  hunter. 


FORMAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH  35 

NZ  Along  the  lanes,  through  tangled  vines  and  over  stones  and 
dunes,  they  hurried  with  prunes,  buns,  beans,  and  wines 
for  the  men  in  the  mines. 

NCH  The  Frenchman  flinching  not  an  inch,  clenched  his  fists  and 
punched  the  blenching  leader  of  the  bunch,  then  munched 
his  lunch  undisturbed  on  a  bench. 

NDZ  The  doctor  bends  over  the  man  on  the  sands,  pounds  his 
chest,  sounds  his  lungs  and  winds  thin  bands  around  the 
wounds  on  his  hands. 

NST  He  never  winced  while  the  arm  was  lanced  and  the  wound 
rinsed,  but  afterward  he  bounced  from  his  chair  against 
the  surgeon  and  denounced  him. 

NTH  At  Corinth,  the  jacinth  blooms  in  the  seventh  month. 

NTS  The  jaunty  count  sent  us  quaint  prints  of  giants,  saints, 
merchants,  tenants,  agents,  infants,  knight  errants  and 
servants. 

LESSON  IX 
J  and  CH 

Pronounce  very  slowly  the  words  joy^  gem  and  cage.  Pro- 
nounce slowly  the  sound  of  J  alone. 

To  what  class  of  consonants  according  to  formation,  does 
J  belong?  Can  you  describe  the  action  of  the  tongue  in  pro- 
ducing it? 

J  is  the  most  difficult  consonant  sound  yet  considered,  be- 
cause it  is  really  the  combination  of  D  and  ZH,  the  tongue 
taking  the  position  for  D  and  quickly  changing  to  the  posi- 
tion for  ZH  to  complete  the  sound. 

Applying  the  usual  test,  state  to  what  class  of  consonants 
according  to  sound,  J  belongs. 

CHj  the  cognate  of  J,  is,  of  course,  a  combination  of  two 
consonant  elements  with  the  same  tongue  positions  as  those 
used  to  produce  J;  but  as  the  vocal  cords  do  not  vibrate  in 


36  ORAL  ENGLISH 

forming  CHj  we  conclude  that  the  component  sounds  must 
be  T  and  SH. 

Note.  /  is  never  followed  by  a  consonant  sound,  so  it  does  not  pre- 
sent diflficulties  of  combinations  with  other  consonant  sounds.  CH  fol- 
lowed by  L,  as  in  the  word  chlorine^  or  CH  followed  by  R,  as  in  the  word 
chronic,  is  pronounced  like  K,  so  difficulties  of  combining  CH  with  other 
consonant  sounds  are,  also,  eliminated. 

Practice  the  following  exercises  for  clean-cut  enunciatioji. 

J  The  jocund  judge  and  jolly  jurists  joined  in  the  general  jubilee, 
jeering  and  joking  like  jesters. 

G  like  J  The  GeneraPs  son  studied  geography,  geometry  and  Ger- 
man at  Geneva,  and  proved  to  be  a  genuine  genius. 

CH  When  the  Chancellor  with  his  chariot  and  charger  appeared, 
the  crowd  cheered,  the  church  chimes  played  and  the  children 
in  the  chapel  chanted. 


LESSON  X 

Z  and  aS 

As  a  review,  name  three  labial  sounds.  Tell  what  each  is 
according  to  sound.    Mention  the  cognate  of  each. 

Give  a  list  of  the  lingual  sounds  already  studied,  and  clas- 
sify them. 

Pronounce  the  word  say.  Classify  the  sound  of  S  accord- 
ing to  formation  and  sound.  Describe  the  position  of  the 
tongue  in  forming  the  sound.    Can  the  sound  be  prolonged? 

Pronounce  the  word  zone.  In  what  two  ways  is  the  sound 
of  Z  like  the  sound  of  Sf  Contrast  the  sound  of  Z  with  the 
sound  of  S, 

Note.  Control  the  breath  well  in  producing  these  two  elements  to 
avoid  a  strong  hissing  sound  which  is  very  objectionable.  Be  sure  to 
take  the  correct  position  of  the  tongue  to  avoid  Usping. 


FORMAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH 


37 


Position  for  Z 


Position  for  S 


S  Stephen  Sharp,  the  Sergeant,  sought  the  six  sailors,  and 
saluting  said:  "Stop  spending  seconds  senselessly,  secure 
sufficient  supphes,  swing  the  stern  from  shore  and  speedily 
straighten  sails;  for  this  ship  sails  soon." 

SF  While  traveling  to  see  the  sphinx  on  the  other  side  of  the 
sphere,  he  fell  and  injured  his  sphenoid  bone. 

SK  Scorning  the  risk,  Scott  skated  past  the  obehsk  on  the  scal- 
ing ice,  then  screamed  to  scare  his  comrades. 

SL  The  slaves  hustling  from  the  castle,  slipped  and  slid  on  the 
sHghtly  sloping  slippery  slabs. 

SM  The  smoldering  fire  smoked,  till  everything  in  the  room  was 
smeared  with  smudge  and  smelled  smutty. 

SN  When  the  dog  sniffing  the  air,  snarled  and  snapped,  the  snob 
snatched  his  hat  and  sneaked  away. 

SP  Spaulding's  spouse  speaks  splendid  Spanish,  and  spends 
many  specimens  of  specie  for  sparkling  spangles. 

ST  The  organist  from  the  western  coast  and  the  chemist  dressed 
in  his  best  vest,  joined  the  guests  at  whist. 

SW  The  swarthy  swain,  sweating  and  swearing,  swiftly  switched 
the  swine  for  swallowing  swiped  swill. 

SKS  Their  tasks  were  to  clean  up  the  husks,  and  move  the  flasks 
and  casks. 


38  ORAL  ENGLISH 

SKT  The  boys  basked  in  the  sun  till  the  farmer  asked  them  to 
load  the  husked  corn,  then  they  whisked  off  their  hats  and 
frisked  about. 

SKW  In  the  squalor  of  the  square,  the  squinting  squaws  squealed 
and  squabbled,  but  were  squelched  by  the  squad. 

SLD  At  first  the  strange  dog  bristled  with  importance,  but  after 
he  had  tussled  and  wrestled  with  Prince,  he  hustled  away. 

SND  The  nurse  hastened  to  the  prostrate  man,  unfastened  his 
coat,  loosened  his  collar  and  hstened  to  his  heart. 

SNZ  The  masons  saw  the  bison  feeding  in  the  basins,  where  the 
dew  moistens  the  air  and  glistens  in  the  sunlight. 

SPL  It  was  splendid  fun  to  see  the  splenetic  splint-maker  splash 
and  splurge  and  splutter  in  the  waves,  when  the  spliced 
rope  broke. 

SPR  In  spring,  every  sprinkle  helps  the  spruce  to  spread  its 
sprightly  sprays  and  sprawling  sprouts. 

SPS  Cleopatra  lisps  a  prayer,  as  she  grasps  the  asps  and  clasps 
them  to  her  breast. 

STS  At  their  annual  feasts,  the  dentists  and  their  guests  enjoy 
the  roasts,  quench  their  thirsts,  and  laugh  at  jests  and 
toasts. 

Z  With  noisy  zithers,  the  zealous  zouaves  easily  teased  the 
zebra  in  the  zoo. 

ZD  The  old  soldier  raised  his  head  and  gazed  in  a  pleased,  dazed 
way,  as  the  bullets  whizzed  by,  then  closed  his  eyes  and 
reposed. 

ZL      The  drizzle  made  Hazel  Teazle^s  party  a  fizzle. 

ZM  In  a  spasm  of  sarcasm,  the  coach  of  the  debating  team  stated 
that  the  leader's  definitions  of  Americanism,  despotism 
and  imperialism  were  open  to  criticism. 

ZN  Minus  his  reason,  the  sailor  climbed  the  mizzen-mast,  shout- 
ing ^ treason,  treason. '^ 

ZLD  He  bamboozled  his  friends,  embezzled  their  money,  puzzled 
the  police,  dazzled  the  loafers  and  guzzled  the  funds  away. 


FORMAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH  39 

ZLZ    Without  his  muzzle's  restraint,  the  puppy  tousles  the  coat 
and  tears  it  to  frazzles. 

ZNZ    At  all  seasons,  poisons  are  kept  from  the  denizens  of  prisons. 


LESSON  XI 
TH  and  TH 

TH  varies  in  sound  according  to  the  vowel  and  consonant 
elements  with  which  it  is  combined. 

Compare  the  sound  of  TH  in  the  word  thin  with  the  sound 
of  TH  in  the  word  then.  How  does  the  first  TH  differ  from 
the  second  THf 


Position  for  ?¥?  Position  for  TH 

Suhtonic  Atonic 

Classify  TH  in  then  according  to  formation  and  sound. 
Classify  TH  in  thin  according  to  formation  and  sound.  Can 
these  sounds  be  prolonged? 

Note.  In  producing  these  two  sounds  the  tip  of  the  tongue  should 
touch  both  the  upper  and  lower  teeth,  but  it  should  not  protrude  between 
them. 


40 


ORAL  ENGLISH 


Compare  the  position  of  the  tongue  for  TH  with  the 
position  necessary  to  produce  the  sounds  of  S  and  Z. 

TH  (subtonic)  Hither  and  thither  in  the  heather,  the  Hthe  brothers 
bothered  their  father  and  mother. 

THM  With  the  rhythm  of  the  music  in  his  ears,  he  could  not  work 
the  logarithm  problem. 

TH  (atonic)  The  author's  thoughtful  thesis  on  the  theory  of 
theosophy,  thrilled  the  thousands  that  thronged  the 
theatre. 

THR  The  thrifty  three  threaded  through  the  throng  threatening 
to  throttle  the  thrilling  thrusters. 

THS  Whatever  you  grasp  of  earth's  mirths  and  wealths,  death's 
hand  snatches  away. 

THW  Thwart  him,  before  he  thwacks  you. 


LESSON  xn 

ZH  and  SH 

What  is  the  cognate  of  B?  of  V?  of  W?  of  D?  of  CH?  of 
Sf  of  TH  in  then? 


Position  for  ZH 


Position  for  SH 


Observe  your  own  articulation,  as  you  pronounce  slowly 
the  word  shell    What  is  SH  according  to  formation?    Com- 


FORMAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH  41 

pare  the  way  you  make  the  sound  of  SH  in  shell  with  the 
way  you  make  the  sound  of  S  in  saiL  Can  you  describe  the 
difference  in  the  position  of  the  tongue  for  the  two  elements? 
(Compare  the  diagrams  of  the  tongue  positions  for  the  two 
sounds.) 

Classify  SH  according  to  formation.  Can  the  sound  be 
prolonged? 

What  is  the  cognate  of  SH?  Give  the  sound  of  the  cognate. 
The  words  azure  and  treasure  are  examples  of  words  contain- 
ing this  sound.    Can  you  give  other  illustrations? 

ZH  The  detective  said,  ^'Now  I  am  at  leisure,  it  gives  me  pleasure 
to  inform  you  that  the  disclosure  of  the  embrasure  was 
what  led  to  the  seizure  of  the  usurer's  treasure." 

SH  The  shepherd  washed  his  sheep  in  the  shallows,  and  sheared 
them  in  the  shadows  of  the  shanty. 

SHR  Dressed  in  shreds,  she  shrugged  her  shoulders  and  shrank 
back  by  the  shriae,  as  the  blast  shrilled  and  shrieked. 

SHT  Edward  gnashed  his  teeth,  lashed  his  horse  and  dashed  up 
the  street;  because  he  wished  to  be  first. 

LESSON  xm 
G  and  K 

The  deaf  and  dumb  learn  to  understand  what  other  people 
are  saying,  by  watching  the  muscular  action  accompanying 
speech.  What  class  of  consonant  elements  do  you  think 
would  be  easiest  for  them  to  distinguish  in  this  way?  What 
class  do  you  think  would  be  most  difficult  for  them  to  dis- 
tinguish? 

Pronounce  the  word  gay  deliberately.  Classify  hard  G 
according  to  formation  and  sound. 

Describe  the  action  of  the  tongue  and  soft  palate  in  pro- 
ducing the  sound.    Can  you  prolong  the  sound? 


42 


ORAL  ENGLISH 


Pronounce  the  word  key  slowly.  Classify  K  according  tC 
formation  and  sound.  Compare  it  with  hard  G  regarding 
prolongation.  What  other  consonants  end  with  an  explo- 
sion of  breath  like  Kf 

What  other  consonant  sometimes  has  the  same  sound 
as  Kf 


Position  for  Hard  G 


Position  for  K 


G  (hard)  From  the  gallery,  the  guests  gazed  at  the  garden,  gaudy 
and  fragrant  with  green  grass,  gay  geraniums,  great  morn- 
ing glories,  glaring  foxgloves,  gleaming  grapes  and  all  the 
gorgeousness  of  a  gardener's  art. 

GD  During  the  forenoon,  we  lugged  boards,  rigged  a  raft,  nagged 
the  gardener,  begged  mother  for  cookies  and  jigged  on  the 
piazza. 

GL  Gliding  to  the  window,  the  Globe  reporter  glossed  the 
glazed  glass  with  his  glove,  and  glared  out  at  the  giggling 
glutton. 

GR  The  grandee  gradually  grew  greedy  and  gruff,  grudging  the 
grant  of  his  green  grove  to  grouse  hunters,  and  greeting  all 
groups  with  graceless  grumbles. 

GZ  Coggswell  hates  prigs,  brags  that  he  wears  rags,  and  tramps 
his  legs  off  in  bogs  to  lug  home  slugs,  frogs  and  bugs. 


FORMAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH  43 

Note.    X  has  no  sound  of  its  own,  but  is  either  a  combination  of  GZ 
or  KS. 

X  (like  GZ)  Reexamining  the  example,  David  grasped  its  exact 
meaning,  and  was  exasperated  to  think  he  had  exhausted 
so  much  time  in  useless  exertion. 

GW    That  Guelph  spoke  his  native  language  most  languidly. 

GLD  The  traveller  haggled  with  the  officer  over  the  smuggled 
goods,  till  he  boggled  the  whole  affair  and  struggled  in  vain. 

GLZ   O^er  the  tangles  of  the  dingles  the  eagles  soar, 
And  bugles'  notes  in  melody  pour. 

K        "Cupid  and  my  Campaspe  played 
At  cards  for  kisses;  Cupid  paid.'' 

KL  The  clown  clad  in  a  clumsy  cloak  and  clinging  to  a  club, 
clutched  the  clamoring  clerk  and  clapped  him  into  a  clothes 
closet. 

KN  If  you  darken  the  room  and  beckon  the  children  away,  I 
reckon  he  will  not  waken. 

KR  Crippled  by  crowding  creditors  and  crazed  by  the  crisis,  the 
critic  crept  across  Cr^^stal  creek  to  the  crag  and  cried. 

KS  Without  tricks  or  jokes,  I  tell  you  these  tracks  lead  past  the 
stacks  and  over  the  rocks  to  the  home  of  Mike's  folks. 

X  (like  KS)  Roxanna,  the  little  vixen,  coaxed  the  tutor  to  excuse 
her  from  the  exercise;  because  she  had  unwittingly  ex- 
changed her  lexicon  for  a  treatise  on  expansion. 

KT  The  gang  knocked  at  the  door,  attacked  the  watchman, 
sacked  the  house,  packed  up  the  booty  and  streaked  away; 
but  were  tracked,  checked  and  locked  up  for  their  rash  act. 

KLZ  My  uncle's  pleasure  over  the  new  buckles,  was  evidenced  by 
chuckles,  the  wrinkles  about  his  mouth  and  the  way  he 
struck  his  knuckles  together. 

KND  He  reckoned  if  he  quickened  his  pace,  he  could  reach  the 
hotel  before  the  clouds  thickened. 

KNZ  The  fever  victim  weakens  and  sickens  every  time  he  wakens. 

KST  When  the  manager  coaxed  her  to  remain  another  week,  she 
mixed  the  candies  and  boxed  them. 


44 


ORAL  ENGLISH 


Note.    Q  is  always  followed  by  C/,  and  is  sounded  like  K  or  KW. 

Q  (like  K)  The  critique  and  coquette  by  oblique  methods,  piqued 
the  unique  clique  on  their  ability  to  play  the  antique  games 
of  croquet  and  piquet. 

QU  (like  KW)  Quoting  a  quaint  quotation,  the  queer  quaker 
quickly  quelled  the  quarrel,  and  requested  the  quibblers 
to  quit  that  quarter  quietly. 


LESSON  XIV 

NG 

Pronounce  deliberately  the  word  ring.  What  two  conso- 
nants in  the  word  seem  to  unite  in  one  sound? 

Classify  NG  according  to  formation 
and  sound.  In  what  two  respects  is 
NG  like  hard  Gf  How  does  it  differ 
from  K?  How  does  it  differ  from  both 
hard  G  and  Kf 

What  other  consonant  elements  have 
marked  nasal  resonance  like  NGf  Give 
the  sound  of  each  with  careful  atten- 
tion to  accurate  position  of  the  vocal 
organs  in  producing  it. 

N  sometimes  is  sounded  like  NG,  as 
in  anxious,  ink,  anchor  and  conquer. 

NG        The  livelong  day,  the  strong  young  hireling,  feeling  no  pang 
swung  along  with  the  throng  and  sang  the  king's  song. 

NGD     The  wronged  prisoner  sentenced  to  be  hanged,  banged  the 
door  of  his  cell  and  longed  to  be  in  the  thronged  street. 

NGK     The  cranky  monk  did  not  think  to  thank  the  banker  for  his 
drink  and  bunk. 

NGST   0  skylark!  thou  spring'st  from  the  earth,  but  wing'st  and 
sing'st  in  the  air  as  if  thou  belong'st  amongst  the  clouds. 

NGTH  The  length  of  their  time  of  service  will  be  according  to  their 
strength. 


Position  for  NG 


FORMAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH 


45 


LESSON  XV 
Y  and  H 

Give  a  complete  list  of  the  labial  subtonies  mentioning 
the  cognate  of  each. 

Give  a  complete  list  of  the  lingual  atonies  naming  the  cog- 
nate of  each. 

Mention  a  pair  of  cognates  that  are  palatals. 

Pronounce  the  word  yet  Look  at  the  diagram,  and  de- 
scribe the  position  of  the  vocal  organs  in  producing  the  sound 
of  Y. 

Classify  the  consonant  Y  according  to  formation  and 
soimd. 

Note.  Y  is  classed  as  a  palatal,  because  the  top  of  the  tongue  articu- 
lates with  the  hard  palate.  F  is  a  consonant  only  at  the  beginning  of 
a  word  or  syllable. 


Position  for  Y 


Position  for  H 


Give  an  example  of  F  as  a  vowel. 

Pronounce  the  word  how.  Notice  that  H  seems  to  be  only 
an  expulsion  of  breath  with  the  throat  open. 

Compare  the  diagram  of  the  position  of  the  vocal  organs 
for  H  with  that  for  F. 


46  ORAL  ENGLISH 

When  Y  is  followed  by  a  consonant  as  in  ypsilifornij  it  be* 
comes  a  vowel;  so  we  have  no  consonant  combinations  with 
Y.  H  is  never  followed  by  a  consonant,  therefore  no  drills 
in  consonant  combinations  can  be  given  for  that  element. 

Y  Yesterday,  under  the  yew  in  yonder  yard,  your  Yankee  young- 
sters yelled  that  they  yearned  for  a  yacht. 

H  The  hermit^s  hut  had  a  hearth  heaped  with  hewn  hickory,  a  ham- 
mock hitched  to  high  hooks,  a  hinged  hutch  holding  ham,  hash, 
haddock  and  wild  hare,  a  huge  hamper  heavy  with  hammers, 
helmets,  harpoons,  horns  and  a  harp,  hides  hanging  by  holes, 
and  two  heaving  hounds  on  heaps  of  hay. 

PRONUNCIATION 

GRADED  LESSONS  IN  ENGLISH  VOWEL  SOUNDS  OR  TONICS 

LESSON  I 

Diacritical  Marks  are  the  symbols  used  to  designate  the 
various  sounds  of  vowels  and  consonants.  The  following  is 
a  list  of  the  diacritical  marks  with  the  name  of  each. 


macron 

A  caret 

breve 

^  tilde  or  wave 

dieresis 

j_  suspended  bar 

semi-dieresis 

,  cedilla 

Note.  In  this  book  the  diacritical  markings  of  Webster's  New  Inter- 
national Dictionary  are  employed;  because  they  are  more  generally 
used  than  those  of  other  dictionaries  for  indicating  the  pronunciation 
of  words,  they  are  pertinent  in  most  cases  without  rewriting  the  word, 
they  are  somewhat  less  confusing,  and,  therefore,  more  easily  learned. 

Long  Vowel  Sounds 

The  vowels  in  English  are  A,  E,  I,  0,  C/,  and  sometimes 
W  and  F.  The  long  sound  of  vowels  is  indicated  by  a  dash 
above  the  vowel,  called  a  macron. 


FORMAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH 


47 


Rule  for  Pronunciation. — Long  vowel  sounds  in  English 
are  pronounced  exactly  as  they  are  spoken  in  the  alphabet, 
except  Y  which  is  pronounced  like  long  I, 


LONG  A 


maker 

dative 

blam^les^ 

snak^ 

saint 

LONG  O 
CO^t 

foi/r 

over 

uphold 

foremost 


LONG  E 

schem^ 

field 

preach 

dre^m 

che^k 

seiz^ 

LONG  u 

dispute 

music 

ttin^ 

duty 

student 


Note.    W  never  has  a  long  or  short  vowel  sound. 


LONG  I 

llf^ 

slimy 

umpir^ 

subscribe 

llkewis^ 

advis§( 

LONG  Y 

styl^ 

typ^ 

defy 

hyphen 

python 

spy 


Some  of  the  long  vowel  sounds  in  the  following  words  are 
often  mispronounced.  Can  you  pronounce  each  of  them  as 
indicated  by  the  diacritical  marks? 


gra'  tis  il  lume'  bron  chi'  tis 

ye^r'  ling        yolk  Dan'  ish 

grim'  y  ap  pa  ra'  tus        car'  bine 


al  ly'  Tu^s'  day 

pa'  tron      cho'  rus 
a  wry'         a'  pri  cot 


LESSON  II 

Short  Vowel  Sounds 

No  rule  can  be  given  for  pronouncing  short  vowel  sounds 
in  English.    They  are  learned  most  easily  by  taking  a  key 


48 


ORAL  ENGLISH 


word  for  each  vowel.  The  following  are  suggested  as  key 
words:  for  short  A,  catch;  short  E,  ten;  short  7,  kids;  short  0, 
from;  short  U  and  short  Y,  gully.  The  five  words  make  a 
nonsense  phrase,  Catch  ten  kids  from  gully,  that  may  help 
in  remembering  them.  The  short  sound  of  vowels  is  indicated 
by  a  curved  line  above  the  vowel  called  a  breve. 


SHORT  A 

cS,mp 

fabric 

cS,ndy 

radish 

back 

magnet 


SHORT  E 

tent 

velvet 

wretch 

boldness 

dead 

cent 


SHORT  I 

rich 

civil 

Latin 

vMt 

ermine 

mint 


SHORT  o 

d5llar 

hbnest 

fSssil 

b5nnet 

c6mbat 

c6ttage 


SHORT  u 

htimble 

suggest 

mtltton 

uncle 

trtink 

ptiblic 


SHORT  V 

mj^th 
gaudy 

city 

gypsj^ 

hymn 
gymnast 


Pronounce  the  short  vowel  sounds  correctly  in  the  follow- 
ing words: 


rep'  til^ 

pS,s'  sage 

h5v'  el 

grS,n'  a  ry 

bade 

Slip'  pie 

po'  em 

bi'  cy  cle 

kef  tie 

G6d 

syr'  up 

en'  gin^ 

par  mis  try 

sem'  i-cir  cle 

oint'  ment 

Review  the  long  and  short  sounds  of  vowels,  by  telling 
how  the  following  words  should  be  pronounced,  and  how 
every  vowel  should  be  marked  to  indicate  its  sound.  What 
vowels  are  silent? 


■  FORMAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH 


49 


smoke 

uproar 

duchess 

postpone 

unroll 

pavement 

insult 

cactus 

beauty 

gadfly 

colleague 

octave 

raiment 

ambuscade 

rally 

campaign 

disease 

lollipop 

erase 

anecdote 

complain 

franchise 

comply 

mutiny 

misdeed 

dentist 

dairy 

peevish 

cyclone 

captive 

sport 

apply 

satisfy 

banjo 

quail 

cascade 

hump-back 

condole 

dynasty 

rabbi 

LESSON 

III 

Italian  and 

Broad  A 

The  sound  of  Italian  A  is  ah,  and  it  is  indicated  by  two 
dots  above  the  vowel  called  a  dieresis. 

The  sound  of  broad  A  is  aw.  It  is  indicated  by  a  dieresis 
below  the  vowel. 


ITALIAN  A 

target 

haH 

calm 

harvest 

gargle 

harbor 


BROAD  A 

h^ 

salt 

w^r 

pauper 

taught 

awning 


Note.  In  certain  localities,  people  erroneously  substitute  Italian  A 
for  broad  A  in  such  words  as  taught,  water,  caught,  daughter,  etc. 

Avoid  common  errors,  and  less  preferred  pronunciations 
by  giving  to  the  vowels  ui  the  following  words  the  sounds 
indicated. 


hearth 

cal'  dron 

lai/gh'  ter 

al'  der 

fi  na'  le 

fa^'  cet 

lai/n'  dry 

par  frey 

gaunt'  let 

be  cavfse 

aim'  ond 

sai/'  cer 

jai/n'  dice 

pal'  try 

ai/nt 

50 


ORAL  ENGLISH 


The  following  words  illustrate  long  and  short  vowel  sounds, 
Italian  A,  and  broad  A.  As  a  review,  mark  each  vowel  with 
the  proper  diacritical  mark,  and  cancel  silent  vowels  and 
silent  consonants. 


artist 

psalm 

appear 

always 

invest 

daylight 

hawk 

dyestuff 

pupil 

walnut 

expel 

embalm 

sentry- 

ivy 

parchment 

jolly 

scrawny 

harness 

pansy 

costume 

consult 

sneak 

comic 

inspire 

charcoal 

tunic 

sadness 

pause 

stealing 

although 

census 

sarcasm 

grain 

climax 

cheese 

grindstone 

multiply 

embargo 

chart 
LESSON  IV 

supreme 

Short  Italian  and  Short  Broad  A 

As  the  name  indicates,  short  Italian  A  is  similar  to  the 
full  Italian  A,  except  that  it  is  less  prolonged.  It  occurs 
when  the  vowel  A  constitutes  or  ends  an  unaccented  syllable; 
and  is  preferred  in  syllables  ending  in  sk^  ff,  ft,  th,  ss,  sp,  st, 
nee,  ntj  and  nd.  It  is  marked  with  a  semi-dieresis  above  the 
vowel. 

Short  broad  A  has  the  same  sound  as  short  0.  It  is  marked 
with  a  semi-dieresis  below  the  vowel. 


SHORT  ITALIAN  A 

SHORT  BROAD  A 

ide'a 

what 

yag'  a  bond 

watch 

A  mer'  i  ca 

squash 

fast 

wan  der 

bath 

qug,n  ti  ty 

danc^ 

squg,d  ron 

FORMAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH 


51 


Practice  pronouncing  the  words  in  the  following  list  as 
they  are  marked,  to  accustom  yourself  to  these  preferred 
pronunciations: 


um  brel  la 

squ^r  or 

last  ing 

wg,f  fle 

ad  vance 

quaid  rat  ic 

al  ge  bra 

w^l  rus 

glass  y 

sw^mp 

sar  sa  pa  ril'  la 

was  (not  wuz) 

mas  ter 

yg.cht 

crafty 

Review  the  sounds  taken  in  this  and  the  previous  lessons, 
by  marking  the  vowel  sounds  in  the  list  of  words  given  below. 
Cancel  all  silent  letters. 


bombard 

confuse 

fulcrum 

fastest 

squander 

exit 

cabinet 

asleep 

laurel 

cartridge 

autumn 

grandsire 

cadet 

panic 

invade 

caustic 

admire 

logic 

wasp 

sparkling 

carnation 

eddy 

canteen 

channel 

swan 

niece 

auction 

lurid 

augment 

briny 

larceny 

unseen 

basket 

garlic 

landscape 

ignite 

priest 

yuletide 

wallet 

tulip 

LESSON 

V 

Circumflex  A  and  E 

Circumflex  A  always  precedes  the  consonant  R,  and 
passes  to  that  element  with  what  is  known  as  a  glide. 
The  sound  of  circumflex  A,  as  nearly  as  it  can  be  pro- 
nounced by  itself,  is  air.  It  is  marked  with  a  caret  above 
the  vowel. 

Circumflex  E  is  identical  with  circumflex  A  in  sound,  and 
is  marked  in  the  same  way. 


52 


ORAL  ENGLISH 


CIRCUMFLEX  A 

squdr^! 
scarcely 


sw^ar 

stdh- 

glar^J 


CIRCUMFLEX  B 

Mir 

port-cocMr^ 

ther^for^ 


Note.     There  are  very  few  words  containing  the  sound  of  circum' 
fiexE. 

Practice  the  pronunciation  of  the  words  given  below. 


p4r'  ent 
gar'  ish 


mo'  hair 
heir'  ess 


sol  i  taire' 
fah-'y 


deb  o  nai'r'      ap  par'  ent 
laird  scdre  crow 


Mark  the  vowel  sounds  in  the  review  list  below,  canceling 
all  silent  letters. 


compare 

wand 

applause 

nickname 

gazette 

impair 

mastiff 

garnet 

data 

maudlin 

squalid 

gaudy 

milkmaid 

discard 

warden 

comma 

thyself 

promise 

whalebone 

welfare 

garnish 

bugbear 

thaws 

wallow 

hardware 

ignore 

insnare 

cautious 

escape 

adult 

nowhere 

patella 

naughty 

tarnish 

larboard 

collapse 

sycamore 

incline 

justify 

disgrace 

LESSON  VI 
E  LIKE   LONG  A    AND   I   LIKE  LONG  E 

When  E  has  the  sound  of  long  ^,  it  is  marked  with  a  ma- 
cron below  the  vowel. 

When  I  has  the  sound  of  long  Ej  it  is  marked  with  a  dieresis 
above  the  vowel. 


FORMAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH 


53 


E  LIKE   LONG   A 

they 

dei'^n 
mating^ 


I  LIKE   LONG  E 

intrigi/0 

polic^ 

sardin^ 

capric^ 

benzin^ 

physiqi/^ 


Apply  these  two  sounds  in  the  pronunciation  of  the  words 
in  the  next  Hst. 

(zhaO 
cliqi/^  bla  se'  vis  a  vi^'  neg  U  ge^       has  til^' 

pi'  br6c){  me  le^'         gab  er  dine'        ca  f e'  s6m  bre'  ro 

tet^  a  tet^'        de  bri^'        e  clai'r'  hei''  n^tis       pas  se' 

Mark  the  vowel  sounds  in  this  review  list,  and  cancel  silent 
letters. 


transparent 

unload 

vein 

install 

weigh 

audit 

antique 

holy 

rhyme 

concave 

insnare 

reindeer 

obscure 

daunt 

fuel 

convex 

machine 

reign 

bauble 

valise 

alas 

sublime 

farce 

ajar 

centaur 

victim 

wigwam 

campus 

heart 

neigh 

skein 

silent 

caucus 

marine 

malt 

convey 

cashier 

calf 

earache 

justice 

LESSON  vn 

Ej   I  AND    Y  MARKED   WITH  A  TILDE 

Ey  I  and  Y  marked  with  a  tilde  or  wave,  are  identical  in 
sound.  This  is  another  vowel  sound  gliding  to  jR,  and  is 
best  pronounced  by  the  syllable  er. 


64 


ORAL  ENGLISH 


TILDE   E 

germ 

clerk 

prefer 

dearth 

fertile! 

he§(rs^ 


TILDE  I 

firm 

flirt 

whirl 

virgin 

circus 

dirg^ 


TILDE    Y 

martyr 

myrrh 

zephyr 

myrtle 

satyr 

myrmidon 

Ap» 


Note.    There  are  but  few  words  containing  Y  with  this  sound, 
ply  this  sound  in  pronouncing  the  following  words. 

ker'  nel  ster'  ling  squir'  rel         third  cir'cu  lat^ 

sub  merg^'        bird  ser'  pent  first  girl 

Hyr'  can  skir'  mish         sher'  bet  her'  mit        con  vers^' 

Note.    Sometimes  A  and  0  have  this  particular  sound  as  in  the  words 
liar  and  factor.    In  such  cases  the  A  or  0  is  marked  with  a  tilde. 

Words  for  Review  of  Vowel  Sounds 


tumult 

disarm 

numerate 

gunner 

swarm 

gaberdine 

lumber 

wadding 

advertise 

artery 

hyena 

archer 

ravine 

washboard 

safety 

cocoa 

pigmy 

elite 

sacrifice 

carpenter 

impulse 

appall 

adore 

slaughter 

cypher 

eighteen 

magnify 

mystic 

hygiene 

judgment 

cucumber 

circus 

aghast 

czarina 

alter 

intrigue 

water-fall 

birthplace 

dynamic 

greasy 

LESSON  VIII 
Long  and  Short  00 

The  sound  of  long  00  is  like  the  0  in  the  word  who,  and  it 
is  marked  with  a  macron  above  the  double  vowel. 

The  sound  of  short  00  is  like  the  0  in  the  word  wolf,  and 
it  is  marked  with  a  breve  above  the  double  vowel. 


FORMAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH 


65 


LONG  00 

moon 

soon 

roof 

hoof 

harpoon 

Waterloo 


SHORT  00 

wood 

foot 

hook 

look 

book 

woolen 


Note.    A  common  error  is  to  substitute  short  00  for  long  00,  as  in 
the  word  roof. 

Apply  these  sounds  in  the  following  words: 


coop'  er 

buf  f  oon'        pa  poose' 

schoon'  er 

lam  poon' 

car  toon' 

ty  phoon'       school'  book      dra  goon' 

ooze 

foot'  stool 

oo'  long          sham  poc 

)'         la  goon' 

CO  coon' 

Words  for  Review  of  Vowel  Sounds 

stair 

haughty 

foresight 

scallop 

toadstool 

bureau 

chair 

air-tight 

prey 

farthing 

submerge 

forestall 

ulster 

quassia 

inveigh 

Argentine 

salute 

wardrobe 

dwarf 

cultivate 

cruller 

quarantine 

arctic 

birch 

saliva 

smuggler 

woodbine 

ugly 

rookery 

squirm 

neuter 

feint 

verdigris 

syntax 

opera 

quadrangle 

express 

faculty 

indict 

portrait 

LESSON 

IX 

Diphthongs 

The  diphthongs  in  English  are  01,  OY,  OC/  and  OW. 
The  diphthongs  01  and  OY  are  combinations  of  the  sounds 
of  broad  A  and  short  I. 


56 


ORAL  ENGLISH 


The  diphthongs  OU  and  OW  are  combinations  of  the 
sounds  of  Italian  A  and  long  00. 


01 

coil 

rejoice 

loiter 


OY 


oyster 

employ 

coyly 


OU 

cloud 

devour 

abound 


OW 

clown 
dowry 
shower 


Note.  TF  is  a  vowel  only  when  it  is  a  part  of  a  diphthong.  Y  is  a 
vowel  when  it  is  a  part  of  a  diphthong,  and  when  it  has  a  sound  of  /. 

All  the  vowels  in  English  except  E  are  really  diphthongs, 
for  they  start  with  one  sound  and  end  with  another.  By 
saying  A  very  slowly,  you  will  notice  that  it  begins  with  the 
sound  of  A  and  ends  with  the  sound  of  E, 

Pronounce  the  diphthongs  accurately  in  the  following 
words. 

r(ou)t  gF§f  (ou)r     p(oi)^n'  ant    se'  p(oy)      s(ou)r 

ch(ow)  ch(ow)    all(oy)'       vic^' r(oy)       gr(oi)n        v(ou)chsaf§!' 
h(oi)st  l(ow)'  er  y   ty'  ph(oi)d     sur'  l(oi)n   b(oi)s'  ter  ous 

Words  for  Review  of  Vowel. Sounds 


lair 

annoy 

insnare 

gawky 

clover 

coin 

antique 

convoy 

magazine 

soda 

import 

food 

counter 

iceberg 

lobster 

harness 

trousers 

wander 

gargoyle 

bounty 

garnet 

footnote 

prayer 

mistook 

naught 

invoice 

drought 

adroit 

boycott 

channel 

fete 

cleanly 

carcass 

greyhound 

cargo 

numerous 

raccoon 

jurist 

suite 

warehouse 

FORMAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH 


57 


LESSON  X 

Circumflex  0  and  U 

Circumflex  0  is  like  broad  A  in  sound.  It  is  marked  with  a 
caret  above  the  vowel. 

Circumflex  U  is  similar  in  sound  to  E,  I  and  Y  when 
marked  with  a  wave.  The  circumflex  U  is  marked  with  a 
caret. 


CIRCUMFLEX  0 

CIRCUMFLEX 

stormy 

blAr 

perform 

htlrdle 

fortress 

ctirse 

tornado 

piirse 

horse 

sM 

endorse 

ttirmoil 

0   LIKE  SHORT    V 

When  0  is  sounded  like  short  C/,  it  is  marked  with  a  semi- 
dieresis  above  the  vowel. 


mother 

hover 

month 


bl6^d 

sponge 

weapon 


Apply  these  three  sounds  in  the  pronunciation  of  the  fol- 
lowing words. 


pilr'  port 

corpse 

btir'  sar 

mon'  grel 

pAr  su^' 

noth'  ing 

de  mtir' 

cor'  nice 

plov'  er 

j(?tlr'n^y 

pom'  mel 

stir'  g^fon 

tongi/^ 

lor  gnette' 

gor'  mand 

58 

ORAL  ENGLISH 

Words 

FOR  Review 

OF  Vowel  Sounds 

welcome 

chenille 

hartshorn 

pardon 

hawthorn 

distort 

cauliflower 

casino 

hornet 

melon 

auburn 

concord 

visit 

fraud 

torpedo 

ransom 

turquois 

hyacinth 

victim 

augment 

transparent 

wanton 

purloin 

dynamo 

critique 

catarrh 

forbear 

wabble 

spicy 

croquet 

tontine 

cavalier 

furlough 

smother 

indict 

aware 

artery 

deign 

surprise 

exploit 

LESSON  XI 

0  AND 

u 

LIKE  00 

When  0  or  [/  is  sounded  like  long  00,  it  is  indicated  by  a 
dieresis  below  the  vowel. 

When  0  or  ?7  is  sounded  like  short  00,  it  is  indicated  by  a 
semi-dieresis  below  the  vowel. 


LIKE   LONG  00 

mgv^ 

tgmb 

shQ^ 

ruin 

fruit 

intrud^ 


LIKE   SHORT  00 

wglf 

wpman 

bpsom 

push 

bullet 

butcher 


Apply  these  sounds  in  the  pronunciation  of  the  following 
words. 


rQijt  tin^' 
boi/  quet' 
CQi/'  ri  er 


crup'  per 
WQjfst'  ed 
sil  hQi/  eif4' 


ca  no^' 
June 
dru'  id 


ruth'  less 
ru  by 
bru  net/^' 


mirth'  f ul 
c^uld 

gWul 


FORMAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH 


59 


Words  for  Review  of  Vowel  Sounds 


coup6 

canary 

thralldom 

litre 

pear  tree 

pulpit 

bijou 

mirthful 

Pisa 

carouse 

turnpike 

scornful 

bloodhound 

embroil 

satire 

soup 

garlic 

postmark 

survey 

martingale 

cowslip 

urchin 

crucify 

vanilla 

soubrette 

mastoid 

haymow 

disjoint 

improve 

incline 

ransom 

doughnut 

barter 

ratify 

adroit 

geyser 

abhor 

glare 

troupe 

squaw 

LESSON  XII 
Long  Vowel  Sounds  in  Unaccented  Syllables 

Any  long  vowel  sound  occurring  in  an  unaccented  syllable, 
is  less  prominent  in  pronunciation  than  a  long  vowel  sound 
in  an  accented  syllable.  To  indicate  this  distinction,  long 
vowel  sounds  in  unaccented  syllables  are  marked  with  a 
suspended  bar  above  the  vowel. 

Contrast  the  long  vowel  sounds  in  unaccented  syllables 
below,  with  the  long  vowel  sounds  in  accented  syllables. 


LONG  VOWEL 

SOUNDS 

LONG  VOWEL 

SOUNDS 

UNACCENTED 

accented 

syllables 

syllables 

Mon'  day 

obey' 

pro  f an^' 

en  clos^' 

vir  lag^ 

bil'  lows 

in  san^' 

con  dol^' 

de  mand' 

H  nite' 

up  he^v^' 

fu'ry 

e  vent' 

grad'  ti  ate 

be  li€v^' 

re  f  us^' 

di  am'  e  ter 

hy  e'  na 

sub  lim^' 

defy' 

tde'a 

ty  phoon' 

aliv^' 

July' 

60 


ORAL  ENGLISH 


Pronounce   long   vowel    sounds   in   unaccented   syllables 
accurately  in  the  following  words: 


morf  gag^ 

voy'  ag$?       ig  no  ra' 

mus       re  mors^' 

re  cur' 

Fri'  day 

u  surp'         a  e'  ri  al 

bro  cad^' 

lit'  er  a  tur$! 

de  plorjJ' 

ma'  gi          his'  to  ry 

gar' 

bag^ 

na'  tur§? 

Words  for  Review 

OF  Vowel  Sounds 

aldermen 

beware 

adieu 

salute 

would 

ravage 

cistern 

review 

coinage 

martyr 

gondolier 

risky 

hortative 

skeleton 

garner 

turpentine 

gangrene 

resume 

mushroom 

harum-scarum 

irksome 

heirloom 

destroy 

ounce 

macaroon 

ruse 

oily 

hardihood 

coyote 

neighbor 

mustache 

prima  doima 

quadrant 

accomphce 

austere 

dagger 

catamount 

audience 

enormous 

deltoid 

answer 

random 

stirrup 

tintype 

gurgle 

silo 

encounter 

wan 

tambourine 

castle 

crude 

effigy 

awful 

churn 

dowry 

biceps 

affront 

cinnamon 

stupid 

bulrush 

lament 

forsook 

cleaver 

savage 

society 

myrrh 

devise 

traffic 

commerce 

precise 

cobbler 

cartilage 

potentate 

naive 

protege 

decoy 

prowess 

declare 

elsewhere 

hoodlum 

FORMAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH  61 


GRADED  LESSONS  IN  ENGLISH  CONSONANT  SOUNDS 

Note.  Only  consonants  that  have  more  than  one  sound  are  consid- 
ered in  this  series  of  lessons. 

LESSON  I 

Hard  and  Soft  C 

There  are  but  two  sounds  of  C:  ^  namely;  the  hard  sound 
like  Ky  and  the  soft  sound  like  S.  The  former  is  marked  with 
a  macron  across  the  consonant,  and  the  latter  with  a  cedilla 
below  the  consonant. 

HARD   C  SOFT  C 

€old  givil 

are  gypress 

ethics  glange 

picture  forge 

accord  agid 

action  gertain 

Hard  and  Soft  G 

G  has  two  sounds.  Palatal  (?,  as  in  the  word  gig^  is  called 
the  hard  sound;  and  lingual  G,  as  in  the  word  rage,  is  known 
as  the  soft  sound.  The  first  is  marked  with  a  macron  over 
the  consonant,  and  the  second  with  a  semi-dieresis  above  the 
consonant. 

hard  q  soft  g 

gay  gem 

glad  stingy 

argue  large 

muggy  ginger 

iceberg  judge 

eg^  midget 

^  In  a  few  words  C  has  the  sound  of  Z  or  SH,  as  in  discern  and  ocean. 


62 


ORAL  ENGLISH 


Mark  the  two  sounds  of  C,  and  the  two  sounds  of  G  cor* 
rectly  in  the  following  words : 


frigate 

guild 

catalog 

oblige 

cook 

coil 

cinders 

gorgeous 

margin 

gauntlet 

barge 

entrance 

grudge 

cayenne 

dungeon 

coupon 

discard 

once 

George 

gymnast 

ground 

city 

comrade 

cigar 

conceal 

cleanly 

silence 

gaunt 

frigid 

geyser 

colleague 

saucer 

clog 

success 

delicate 

cellar 

critical 

receive 

LESSON 

centre 
II 

cork 

Sounds  oi 

^  CH 

CH  has  three  sounds:  like  K,  SH  and  TCH.  When  it 
sounds  like  K,  it  is  indicated  with  a  macron  across  the  C. 
The  other  two  sounds  have  no  diacritical  markings. 


CH  LIKE   K 

CH  LIKE   SH 

CH  LIKE    2 

€horus 

chaise 

chin 

epoch 

chagrin 

church 

echo 

machine 

much 

character 

mustache 

arch 

chlorine 

chivalry 

choice 

chaos 

chaperon 
Sounds  of  N 

birch 

TCH 


N  has  two  sounds:  its  common  sound  as  in  niney  and  like 
NG  as  in  ink.    The  common  sound  is  never  marked.    N  like 


FORMAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH 


63 


NG  is  indicated  by  a  macron  below  the  consonant,  or  by 
prolonging  the  final  stroke  of  the  n,  thus,  r]. 


COMMON  N 

tent 

annul 

change 

night 

pronounce 

penny 


N  LIKE   NO 

anchor 

dingle 

uncle 

thank 

congress 

anger 


Review  the  consonant  sounds  already  studied  by  means  of 
the  following  list  of  words : 


cravat 

fireplace 

beseech 

accept 

wages 

chronic 

pilgrim 

magic 

stern 

tragic 

number 

sanguine 

croup 

advice 

chirp 

cipher 

glove 

dangle 

lodging 

vender 

chemist 

monster 

cholera 

cheroot 

cordial 

monk 

cheap 

conduct 

deceit 

■Charlotte 

charges 

charlatan 

charade 

gore 

gigantic 

anxious 

rogue 

chiropodist 

chass^ 

achieve 

LESSON  III 

SuBTONic,  Atonic 

AND  Glide  R 

There  are  three  different  sounds  of  R,  none  of  which  is 
indicated  by  diacritical  marking.  Regular  consonant  R 
occurs  at  the  beginning  of  a  word  or  syllable,  or  after  a  sub- 
tonic.  Aspirate  R  occurs  immediately  after  an  atonic.  Glide 
R  occurs  immediately  after  a  vowel  or  diphthong. 


64 


ORAL  ENGLISH 


SUBTONIC   R 

ATONIC   R 

GLIDE   R 

room 

frame 

fern 

race 

crag 

heart 

borrow 

trust 

bird 

brain 

prove 

hurt 

derail 

cream 

roar 

groan 

froze 
Sounds  of  S 

war 

S  has  four  sounds;  like  S,  like  Z,  like  SHj  and  like  ZH. 
When  S  sounds  like  Z  it  is  marked  with  a  suspended  bar 
below  the  consonant.    The  other  sounds  have  no  markings. 


S  NATURAL 

S  LIKE   Z 

S  LIKE   SH 

S  LIKE   ZH 

smile 

rib§ 

sure 

vision 

swim 

ha§ 

sugar 

confusion 

curse 

accu§e 

censure 

usury 

best 

digmal 

sensual 

visual 

message 

regolve 

passion 

leisure 

silent 

hugband 

issue 

pleasure 

Words  for  Review  of  Consonant  Sounds 


physic 

release 

govern 

concern 

array 

convulsion 

orchard 

grease 

think 

immerse 

perch 

ease 

impress 

sausage 

occasion 

mansion 

please 

crease 

cheese 

courage 

geese 

grieve 

broker 

reproof 

fraud 

chyme 

•  mission 

delusion 

ink 

derision 

sink 

barouche 

translate 

entreat 

tease 

credit 

invasion 

written 

noise 

stranger 

FORMAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH 


65 


LESSON  IV 
SUBTONIC   AND  AtONIC    TH 

TH  has  two  sounds,  one  vocal  and  the  other  aspirate. 
Vocal  TH  is  marked  with  a  macron  across  the  consonants. 

TH 


^OCAL   TH 

ASPIRATE 

wreathe 

thin 

bathe 

thing 

tiien 

thrive 

father 

breath 

those 

length 

thy 

birth 

Vocal  and  Aspirate  X 

Vocal  X  sounds  like  GZ,  and  aspirate  X  like  KS,    Vocal  X 
is  marked  with  a  suspended  bar  below  the  consonant. 


VOCAL  X 

aspirate  X 

epst 

wax 

e^alt 

execute 

exhort 

exit 

example 

exclaim 

exult 

excel 

exhaust 

exhaust 

Words  for  Review 

OF  Consonant  Sounds 

carouse 

fathom 

insurance 

pierce 

exempt 

wrench 

throne 

cloud 

dearth 

examine 

cube 

execute 

musing 

reverse 

exactly- 

pause 

weather 

picnic 

merchant 

purge 

presume 

worth 

illusiQU 

ready 

witch 

cynic 

vex 

cambric 

hoax 

pink 

corrupt 

reflex 

choose 

pressure 

mink 

smuggle 

phrase 

relax 

treasure 

grudge 

66  ORAL  ENGLISH 

Accent 

What  is  Accent? — It  is  necessary  to  consider  accent  *n 
connection  with  pronunciation.  In  accenting  a  syllable 
of  a  word,  one  gives  greater  force  and  a  different  pitch  to  that 
syllable,  than  he  does  to  the  other  syllables  of  the  word.  For 
all  practical  purposes,  however,  it  is  merely  a  matter  of  speak- 
ing the  syllable  on  a  higher  pitch.  If  a  pupil  has  difficulty 
in  placing  an  accent,  and  is  told  to  strike  a  higher  note  with 
the  syllable,  he  will  generally  get  it  correct  at  the  first  trial. 
The  melody  of  certain  sentences  may  lower  accented  syllables 
in  pitch,  but  in  single  words  the  accented  syllables  are  always 
raised  in  pitch. 

Primary  and  Secondary  Accents. — In  words  of  three 
or  more  syllables,  two  accents  are  employed,  the  stronger 
being  called  the  primary  accent,  and  the  weaker  the  second- 
ary accent.  The  secondary  accent  is  distinguished  from  the 
primary  by  a  lighter  mark  of  accent;  e.  g.,  as'  pi  ra'  tion:  or,  as 
in  some  dictionaries,  by  two  lighter  lines;  e.  g.,  con''  tra  diet'. 
Certain  dictionaries  mention  tertiary  accent,  but  it  is  very 
difficult  to  estimate  the  degree  of  accent  beyond  the  sec- 
ondary. 

There  are  many  pairs  of  words  in  English  spelled  the  same, 
but  accented  differently  to  distinguish  the  noun  from  the 
7erb;  as  an' nex,  annex';  the  noun  from  the  adjective;  as 
com'  pact,  com  pact';  or  the  adjective  from  the  verb;  as 
per'  feet,  per  feet'. 

Can  you  accent  each  of  the  following  words  as  indicated, 
tell  what  part  of  speech  it  is,  and  use  it  correctly  in  a  sentence? 

ab'  sent,  ab  sent'  di'  gest,  di  gest' 

ab'  stract,  ab  stract'  dis'  count,  dis  count' 

ac'  cent,  ac  cent'  ex'  tract,  ex  tract' 

af '  fix,  af  fix'  fer'  ment,  fer  ment' 


FORMAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH 


67 


al'  ter  nate,  al  ter'  nate 
at'  tri  bute,  at  trib'  ute 
aug'  ment,  aug  ment' 
Au'  gust,  au  gust' 
cem'  ent,  ce  ment' 
col'  lect,  col  lect' 
com'  pound,  com  pound' 
con'  Crete,  con  crete' 
con'  fine,  con  fine' 
con'  flict,  con  flict' 
con'  sort,  con  sort' 
con'  test,  con  test' 
con'  tract,  con  tract' 
con'  trast,  con  trast' 
con'  verse,  con  verse' 
con'  vert,  con  vert' 
con'  vict,  con  vict' 
con'  voy,  con  voy' 
des'  cant,  des  cant' 
de'  tail,  de  tail' 
re'  tail,  re  tail' 
so'  journ,  so  journ' 
sub'  ject,  sub  ject' 
su'  pine,  su  pine' 


fre'  quent,  fre  quent' 

in'  cense,  in  cense' 

in'  crease,  in  crease' 

in'  suit,  in  suit' 

ob'  ject,  ob  ject' 

per'  fume,  per  fume' 

per'  mit,  per  mit' 

prec'  e  dent,  pre  ced'  ent 

pre'  fix,  pre  fix' 

prem'  ise,  pre  mise' 

pres'  ent,  pre  sent' 

prod'  uce,  pro  duce' 

prog'  ress,  pro  gress' 

proj'  ect,  pro  ject' 

pro'  test,  pro  test' 

quar'  an  tine,  quar  an  tine' 

rec'  ord,  re  cord' 

ref '  use,  re  fuse' 

re'  gress,  re  gress' 

rep'  ri  mand,  rep  ri  mand' 

sur'  vey,  sur  vey' 

tor'  ment,  tor  ment' 

trans'  fer,  trans  fer' 

trans'  port,  trans  port' 


Mispronunciation 

What  Good  Pronunciation  Includes. — Good  pronuncia- 
tion includes  dividing  a  word  into  its  proper  syllables,  plac- 
ing the  accent  on  the  right  syllable,  and  giving  to  vowels  and 
consonants  their  correct  sounds. 

Dictionaries  are  Records  of  Language  Development. — 
The  dictionaries  are  our  standards  for  pronunciation.  Yearly 
editions  are  necessary,  because  our  language  undergoes 
certain  changes  from  year  to  year.  New  words  come  into 
current  use,  and  some  words  with  the  growth  of  the  language, 


68  ORAL  ENGLISH 

develop  a  different  meaning,  spelling  or  pronunciation.  In 
a  word,  the  dictionaries  are  records  of  the  usage  of  well 
educated  people — the  best  use  of  English.  English  is  our 
language  and  is  intimately  associated  with  our  country.  Let 
us  respect  both  of  them. 

Results  from  the  Study  of  Phonetics. — The  graded  les- 
sons in  vowel  and  consonant  sounds,  if  well  mastered,  will 
acquaint  the  pupil  with  many  of  his  own  errors  in  pronuncia- 
tion, cultivate  his  ear  to  distinguish  shades  of  vowel  and 
consonant  sounds,  and  train  his  organs  of  speech  to  greater 
accuracy  in  articulation. 

The  purpose  of  the  following  lists  of  words  is  to  call  atten- 
tion to  the  correct  pronunciation  of  some  words  that  are 
frequently  mispronounced.  At  the  same  time  the  various 
kinds  of  mispronunciation  to  which  we  are  liable,  may  be 
noted. 

I.  Words  that  are  mispronounced  by  a  wrong  division  of 
the  syllables.    Pronounce  each  one  carefully. 

an  tip'  o  des  eq'  ui  ta  ble 

ar  tif  i  cer  gla  di'  o  lus 

be  nef  i  cent  ho  me  op'  a  thy 

bo'  na  fi'  de  hy  per'  bo  le 

cam  pa  ni'  le  ir  rep'  a  ra  ble 

clem'  a  tis  joe'  und 

com'  pro  mise  lam'  en  ta  ble 

dec'  ade  mu  nic'  i  pal 

de  co'  reus  mol'  e  cule 

de  men'  stra  tive  pho  tog'  ra  phy 

dep'  ri  va  tion  prel'  ate 

des'  pi  ca  ble  qui  e'  tus 

def '  i  cit  rev'  o  ca  ble 

di  as'  to  le  si'  ne  cure 

di  shev'  el  te  leg'  ra  phy 
ep  i  zo  of  ic 


FORMAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH 


69 


II.  Words  that  are  mispronounced  by  inserting  extra 
syllables  or  letters,  such  as  elum  for  elrrij  and  sawr  for  saw. 
Drill  on  the  list. 


alpaca 

down 

law 

soda 

athlete 

draw 

method 

straw 

attacked 

drowned 

now 

umbrella 

brethren 

elm 

overalls 

woman 

blind 

hydrangea 

helm 

gulp 

chimney 

innocent 

saw 

film 

comma 

jaw 

Gibraltar 

prairie 

realm 

III.  Words  that  are  mispronounced  by  omitting  syllables 
or  letters.  This  is  a  very  common  error;  for  we  often  hear 
gometry  for  geometry,  intrest  for  interest  and  many  careless 
omissions  of  the  same  kind.  Are  you  sure  you  can  pronounce 
each  of  the  following  words  correctly? 


accept 

eleven 

machinery 

artistically 

every 

magnolia 

battery 

favorite 

memory 

boisterous 

general 

miniature 

botany 

geography 

miserable 

bravery 

geometry 

mystery 

calculate 

govern 

natural 

cardinal 

idea 

neuralgia 

cemetery 

incendiary 

original 

certificate 

incidentally 

parenthesis 

clarinet 

insidious 

participle 

crept 

interest 

personal 

delivery 

ivory 

poem 

depths 

judiciary 

poetry 

diamond 

kept 

pumpkin 

different 

laboratory 

reasonable 

discovery 

lineament 

recognize 

70 


ORAL  ENGLISH 


regular 

restaurant 

reverend 

reverie 

rheumatism 

sarsaparilla 


sentinel 

several 

similar 

singing 

singular 

slept 


temperance 

tedious 

tract 

usual 

veterinary 


IV.  Words  frequently  mispronounced  by  placing  the 
accent  on  the  wrong  syllable.  Pronounce  each  of  the  follow- 
ing taking  pains  to  place  the  accent  where  it  should  be  in 
each  word. 


ab  do'  men 

con'  tu  me  ly 

ly  ce'  um 

ab' ject 

CO  te  rie' 

mau  so  le'  um 

ac  cli'  mate 

dem  0  ni'  a  cal 

mis'  chie  vous 

a  cu'  men 

dis  course' 

mu  se'  um 

ad  dress' 

di  van' 

ob'  li  ga  to  ry 

a  dept' 

ep'  och 

or'  de  al 

ad'  mir  a  ble 

ex'  qui  site 

or'  tho  e  py 

a  dult' 

fi  nance' 

py  ram'  i  dal 

al  bu'  men 

gar'  ru  lous 

re  search' 

a'  li  as 

gon'  do  la 

re  source' 

al  lop'  a  thy 

gri  mace' 

re  fut'  a  ble 

au  to  mo'  bile 

her  cu'  le  an 

ro  bust' 

bra  va'  do 

ho  ri'  zon 

su  per'  flu  ous 

brig'  and 

im'  pi  ous 

ti  rade' 

bi  fur'  ca  ted 

im'  po  tent 

trav'  erse 

car'  i  ca  ture 

in  com'  pa  ra  ble 

trib'  une 

cer'  e  bral 

in  dis'  pu  ta  ble 

va  ga'  ry 

chas'  tise  ment 

in'  dus  try 

ve'  he  ment 

chauf  f  eur' 

in  ex'  pli  ca  ble 

ve'  hi  cle 

CO  ad  ju'  tor 

in  ter'  po  late 

vi  ra'  go 

com'  bat  ant 

in  qui'  ry 

ver  bose' 

com  man  dant' 

jo  cose' 

V.  Words  that   are  often  pronounced  with  wrong  or 


FORMAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH 


71 


unpreferred    vowel    sounds, 
list. 


Try    to    master    the    entire 


S-c  qui  Ss^^' 
a'  er  6  plan^ 
a  me'  na  bl^ 
ap  pend  1  ci'  tis 
a  quS,t'  ic 
Ar'ab 
&s'  phS,lt 
at'  ti  tud§! 
ay  (yes) 
a^^  (forever) 


dis  ere'  tion  (shtin) 

dis'  trict 

doth 

d5c'  i\^ 

draught  (draft) 

drom'  e  da  ry 

en  core  (an'  kor) 

ex  t6l' 

f  ai'  €^n 

get 

gen'  u  in^ 

gen  S  al'  6  g5^ 

ha'  rem 

hom^'  ly 

h5s'  tn^ 

hur  ra)l' 

hy  p6c'  ri  sy 

im  pla'  ca  bl^ 

ju'  gtl  lar 

j^ust 

le*'  sure  (zhur) 

h'  €hen 

m^r'  i  tim§! 

me  di  o'  €r^ 

non^ 

5f '  Hc^ 


broach 

broom 

bi  6g'  ra  phj^ 

€a  da'  ver 

caout  chouc  (koo'  chook) 

cl'iqi/^ 

c5ch'  1  ne^l 

con'  jtiT  er 

c5n  sti  tu'  tion  (shtin) 

cre^k 

c6r'  al 

cu'  1!  nS,  ry 

cti'  p6  la 

da' is 

dg^f 

VI.  Words  that  are  often  pronounced  with  wrong  or  un- 
preferred consonant  sounds.  Accustom  yourself  to  the  con- 
sonant sounds  indicated. 


or'  6  tiind 

p^n  6  ra'  ma 

pSn  e  gyr'  ic 

pa'  th6s 

pS-r'  a  s6l 

ped'  al  (noun) 

pe'  dal  (adj.) 

pe'  6  ny 

pret  ty  (prif  ty) 

pr6c'  ess  (noun) 

pr5g'  ress  (noun) 

r(oi)l 

roof 

ric  6  ghef 

sSc  ri  le'  gi-^iis 

si'  mul  ta'  ne  ^lis 

sle^k 

sough  ing  (suf '  ing) 

sta'  ttis 

strych'  nin^ 

tab'  er  na  cl^ 

tas'  sel 

vaude  ville  (vod'  vill 

/res'  fl4:: 


as  so'  ci  ate  (shi  at) 
an'  ch6  vy 
arch'  an  ggl 


ar'  chi  tect 

as  get'  i  gigm 

^ux  il'  ia  ry  (ag  ?il'  ya  r^) 


72 


ORAL  ENGLISH 


black  guard  (bl^g'  ard) 

bian'  kSt 

eel  lo  (cher  lo) 

€hS,sm 

chaise  (shSz) 

€hi  me'  ra 

c6n'  quer 

des'  ig  nat^ 

des'  til  to  ry 

douche  (doosh) 

fa  gad^' 

g)(er'  kin 

g!b'  ber 

gib'  ber  ish 

gib'  bet 

gy'  rat^ 

gyv^s 

h6r'  o  log^ 

ISngth 


I6n  gev'  1  if 
me§'  mer  i§m 
mi  rage  (razh'^ 
15g'  a  rlthm 
nich^ 

pS,n'  to  mim^ 
pla'  gi'a  ri§m 
re  gime  (zhem') 
sac'  ri  fice  (fiz) 
s^jftgm 
sphere  (sfer) 
spin'  ag^ 
sub  p^e'  na 
suf  fice  (fIz') 
tran'  qi/n 
\X  §tirp' 

vie  ar  (vik'  er) 
vis  or  (viz'  er) 


VII.  Words  of  this  list  are  sometimes  mispronounced  by 
sounding  silent  letters.  Do  you  make  errors  of  this  kind  in 
pronouncing  the  following  words? 


again 

Edinburgh 

nuisance 

almond 

extraordinary 

often 

been 

falcon 

quay 

breeches 

glisten 

raspberry 

business 

height 

salmon 

chestnut 

herb 

soften 

corps 

hostler 

subtle 

debris 

gunwale 

sword 

debut 

Iroquois 

viscount 

Delhi 

imbroglio 

eclat 

kiln 

FORMAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH  73 


EXERCISES  IN  PRONUNCIATION 

A  sacrilegious  son  of  Belial  who  suffered  from  bronchitis,  hav- 
ing exhausted  his  finances,  in  order  to  make  good  the  deficit, 
resolved  to  ally  himself  to  a  comely,  lenient,  and  docile  young  lady 
of  the  Malay  or  Caucasian  race.  He  accordingly  purchased  a 
caUiope  and  a  coral  necklace  of  a  chameleon  hue,  and  securing  a 
suite  of  rooms  at  a  principal  hotel,  he  engaged  the  head  waiter  as 
his  coadjutor.  He  then  dispatched  a  letter  of  the  most  unexcep- 
tional caligraphy  extant,  inviting  the  young  lady  to  a  matinee. 
She  revolted  at  the  idea,  refused  to  consider  herself  sacrificable  to 
his  desires,  and  sent  a  polite  note  of  refusal,  on  receiving  which  he 
procured  a  carbine  and  a  bowie  knife,  said  that  he  would  now  forge 
letters  hymeneal  with  the  queen,  went  to  an  isolated  spot,  severed 
his  jugular  vein  and  discharged  the  contents  of  his  carbine  into  his 
abdomen.    The  debris  was  removed  by  the  coroner. 

A  Visit  to  the  Deering  High  School 

A  member  of  the  executive  board  started  out  in  blithe  spirits  to 
visit  the  Deering  High  School.  He  heard  the  soughing  of  the  wind 
through  the  trees.  Glancing  backward  he  saw  a  boy  on  the  side- 
walk vigorously  working  the  pedals  of  his  bicycle  and  evidently 
enjoying  the  pedal  exercise.  Stepping  aside,  he  gave  him  the  pre- 
cedence, though  thinking  it  might  be  establishing  a  bad  precedent 
to  allow  cycling  on  the  sidewalk.  The  boy  touched  the  visor  of  his 
cap  in  polite  salute  and  rode  on.  He  soon  met  a  doctor  who  in- 
formed him  that  he  had  patients  ill  with  bronchitis,  appendicitis, 
and  a  case  of  diphtheria  with  the  parotid  gland  badly  affected.  He 
said  his  horse  seemed  very  docile,  but  he  was  overworked  as  his 
other  had  an  attack  of  epizootic.  He  would  buy  another  but  the 
status  of  his  finances  was  such  that  it  would  leave  a  deficit  in  his 
cash  account. 

A  canine  pet  of  huge  size  met  him  as  he  passed  along.  He  soon 
observed  in  the  distance  an  object  approaching  that  resembled  a 
caUiope  escorting  the  pageantry  of  a  circus.  It  proved  to  be  an 
automobile  with  a  party  in  jocund  spirits  on  their  way  to  attend  a 
vaudeville  performance. 

He  reached  the  school  before  recess  and  met  the  principal  in  the 
recess  of  the  building.  In  the  library  he  saw  one  young  lady  read- 
ing the  poems  of  Felicia  Hemans;  another  was  deeply  absorbed  in  a 
romance.  One  was  writing  an  essay  on  the  Resources  of  Maine, 
and  her  companion  was  looking  up  Palestine  on  the  map.    A  young 


74  ORAL  ENGLISH 

man  of  robust  physique  was  preparing  an  address  on  orthoepy  and 
orthoepical  subjects.  He  had  reached  the  finale  of  his  writing.  He 
was  asked  to  read  his  address  but  he  rephed  with  a  grimace  that  he 
was  not  ready  to  do  that. 

The  chemical  laboratory  seemed  well  supplied  with  needed  ap- 
paratus. One  of  the  boys  drew  water  from  a  faucet  and  colored  it 
with  cochineal.  Another  went  to  the  pharmacist  for  benzine, 
strychnine,  iodine,  cocaine,  iodide  of  potassium,  calcined  plaster, 
shellac,  peroxide  of  hydrogen,  carmine  ink,  fulminic  powder,  and 
arseniureted  powder.  The  glittering  facets  of  an  amethyst  gem, 
worn  by  one  of  the  young  ladies,  caught  the  eye  of  the  committee. 
In  the  Greek  class  the  teacher  was  discoursing  on  the  indirect  dis- 
course and  on  the  errors  often  made  in  pronunciation.  The  class 
in  algebra  was  comparing  the  similarity  of  algebra  to  arithmetic  and 
also  solving  complex,  simultaneous  equations.  The  teacher  of  ex- 
pression was  discussing  accent  and  drilling  her  class  to  accent  the 
proper  syllable.  They  were  reading  the  following:  "I  contemplate 
often  a  plethoric,  peremptory,  sacrilegious,  invalid  inmate,  who 
seems  acclimated  though  enervated.  He,  according  to  the  legend, 
is  an  aspirant  for  the  fame  of  a  conjurer.  He  holds  in  his  hand  a 
vase  illustrated  by  a  distich  from  a  Latin  satire." 

The  teacher  of  the  physical  geography  class  had  made  a  collection 
of  caoutchouc,  cochineal,  apricots,  syrup  strained  through  a  colander 
ready  for  culinary  use,  spinach,  and  bananas.  In  the  geometry 
class  he  heard  the  two  sides  alternate  in  demonstrating  the  equality 
of  alternate  angles.  The  class  in  civil  government  seemed  much 
interested  in  municipal  problems.  They  were  planning  to  perfect 
an  organization  to  conduct  a  town  meeting  in  accordance  with  the 
usages  of  our  modern  civilization. 

The  students  were  courteous  in  their  manners  and  observant  of 
the  etiquette  of  the  school. 

The  N.  E.  A.  Alphabet 

Many  educators  and  philologists  have  felt  the  need  of 
more  scientific  symbols  for  the  accurate  denotation  of  the 
sounds  heard  in  English  speech.  To  meet  this  need  a  com- 
mittee of  experts  worked  for  several  years  formulating  such 
an  alphabet,  and  reported  the  results  of  their  labors  to  the 
National  Education  Association  in  1911.  The  alphabet 
was  adopted  by  the  association,  and  is  known  as  the  N.  E.  A. 


FORMAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH  75 

Alphabet.  As  yet  it  has  not  been  much  tested,  is  not  well 
understood,  and  is  waiting  adoption  by  text-books  and  dic- 
tionaries. However,  as  this  alphabet,  or  a  modification  of 
it,  is  likely  to  receive  some  recognition,  the  following  com- 
parative table  is  submitted  for  the  use  of  those  that  are 
interested. 

Roman  Script  Names      Key-words         Webster  Markings 


a 

Q 

66     a^ 

art 

a 

a 

a 

a «, 

artistic 

a  in  unaccented 

Qi 

at 

CLo   CUty 

aisle,  find 

syllables 
i 

Qa 

CM 

CLuy  a^a/ 

out,  thou 

(ou)  (ow) 

A 

a 

d  a. 

air 

k 

A 

a 

^T         ^ 

at 

S. 

B 

b 

£  I 

bi 

be 

b 

Ch 

di 

L^  cJi/ 

dhi 

chew 

ch 

D 

d 

j>^ 

di 

day 

d 

E 

e 

G^    ^ 

prey 

e 

E 

e 

t^     ^ey 

men 

e 

a  =  a,  as  in  ask.  a 

1  =  w ,  as  in  habit,  senate  (indicating  a  weakening  toward  i  in  v^^V)^ 

a  =  --,  as  in  final,  atom  (indicating  a  weakening  toward  u  in  hut). 


76 

ORAL  ENGLISH 

Roman                   Script 

Names 

1           Key-words 

Webster  Markings 

F 
G 

ef              fee 
gl  (not  ji)  go 

f 
g 

H 

hi 

he 

h 

i 

.  J^ 

marine 

i 

I 

i  J  ^ 

tin 

\ 

lu 

i^  sJ-U^.^i.t4^ 

mute 

u 

J 

'  Ir, 

jI(or 

je)   jaw 

j  org 

K 

^:£% 

ki  (or 

ke)  kin 

k  or  c 

L 

•  :£/ 

el 

let 

1 

M 

"» 7?v  ^}o^ 

em 

met 

m 

N 

n      /Z^   /7^^ 

en 

net 

n 

0.^ 

»3  77  ^^2x 

eD 

sing 

^  or  n 

0 

«     0      ,r 

note 

0 

0 

«    6?_     o- 

poetic 

o 

0 

i    &  a- 

nor 

6 

0 

'  (9'  <^ 

not 

6 

1  This  denotes  the  guttural  nasal  heard  in  sing,  singer.  It  is  a 
simple  sound,  not  a  compound  of  n  and  g.  The  ng  of  finger  is  com- 
posed of  q  +  g  (fin'gar),  the  nk  of  hank  of  q  +  k  (bai]k). 


FORMAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH  77 


ei     ei 

Script 

Names 

Key-words 

oil 

Webster  Markings 

(oi)  (oy) 

P 
R 

pi 
er  (or 

pit 
ar)  rat 

P 

r 

S 

;8' 

J  ^ 

es 

set 

s  or  g 

Sh 

* 

..J^Ay^^itJiy 

e^ 

ship 

sh 

T 

t 

Jj> 

tl 

ten 

t 

Th 

.<h 

MyJ^ 

eth 

thin 

th 

% 

.fli 

C,/^^  .-^^i^ 

eth 

that 

th 

00     -"^^ 

mood 
push 

00,  Q  or  u 
00,  Q  or  ^ 

u 

0 

u 

urge 
hut 

u,  g,  i,  or  y 

V 

y 

'^  ^ 

ev  (or  vi)  van 

V 

w 

w 

V^  -^ 

wi 

win 

w 

z 

y 

z 

yi             yes 
ez  (or  zi)  zest 

y 

z  or  § 

3 

S 

?  7 

^3 

azure 

zh 

INTELLECTUAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH 
THE  STUDY  OF  MODELS 

Acquirements  by  Imitation  Determine  the  Needed  Trains 
ing. — ^Facility  in  oral  composition  comes  from  imitation, 
training  and  practice.  A  child  learns  to  talk  by  imitating 
the  speech  of  those  about  him.  Later  when  he  attends  school, 
what  he  has  acquired  by  imitation  determines  what  his 
training  should  be.  If  he  has  formed  habits  of  speech  by 
imitating  good  models,  he  can  frame  sentences  with  some 
degree  of  ease,  and  has  comparatively  nothing  to  unlearn. 
If  on  the  other  hand,  as  is  often  the  case,  he  comes  to  school 
hampered  with  bad  habits  of  speech  acquired  by  imitating 
unworthy  models,  some  of  his  first  training  should  be  aimed 
at  eliminating  his  bad  habits  of  speech  and  substituting 
better  ones  in  their  stead. 

The  Value  of  Ideals  in  Oral  Composition. — ^The  school, 
therefore,  should  furnish  good  models  of  oral  composition 
for  its  pupils.  School  years  are  the  years  of  ideals,  for. 
at  school,  boys  and  girls  gain  their  standards  of  howj 
things  should  be  done.  Their  ideals  of  good  oral  composi4 
tion  may  be  influenced  by  the  conversation  of  teachers,  by 
debates  at  literary  society  meetings,  or  by  a  visitor's  remarks 
to  the  assembled  school.  Their  ideals  of  how  things  may  be 
well  said,  are  also  affected  by  what  they  hear  others  read, 
or  what  they  read  themselves.  A  short  story  from  a  good 
author  gives  them  a  new  conception  of  how  effectively  a 
story  may  be  told;  and  paragraphs  from  authors  like  Irving 
or  Lamb  show  them  how  interesting  common  things  may 
be  made  by  apt  description. 

78 


INTELLECTUAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH    79 

Why  are  Many  Pupils  Weak  in  Oral  Composition?— 

Because  reading  good  literature,  and,  especially  reading  it 
aloud,  gives  models  for  oral  composition,  we  have  one  of  the 
strongest  pleas  for  more  attention  to  expr.essive  reading  in 
our  schools.  English  teachers  generally  admit  that  their 
pupils  have  comparatively  little  facility  in  oral  composition. 
Many  students  can  speak  only  a  few  sentences  upon  a  topic, 
and  some  only  a  few  halting  words.  This  is  not  always  be- 
cause they  have  nothing  to  say,  for  Professor  James  has  ex- 
plained that  it  is  possible  to  have  some  knowledge  of  things, 

'  and  yet  be  unable  to  express  it.  The  cause  lies  in  the  fact 
that  they  have  given  little  attention  to  how  ideas  are  clothed 
effectively  in  words. 

Interpretive  Reading  of  Good  Literature  Gives  Ideals 
for  Oral  Composition. — Even  a  well  advanced  pupil,  asked 
to  describe  some  street  character  he  has  seen,  will  do  it 
lamely  enough.  But  after  reading  aloud  Lamb's  essay  '^The 
Praise  of  Chimney  Sweepers,^'  and  trying  again,  he  shows 
great  gain  in  command  of  his  sentences.  Do  you  wish  to 
become  more  fluent  in  conversation?  Read  aloud  from  many 
authors,  trying  to  discover  their  methods  of  marshalling 
sentences  into  pleasing  narration,  telling  description,  or 
forcible  argument;  and  then  try  to  emulate  their  excellences 
in  your  own  oral  composition.  Do  you  wish  to  acquire  more 
ease  in  wielding  sentences  for  some  form  of  public  speaking? 
Study,  and  memorize  passages  from  the  speeches  of  Phillips, 

■Webster,  Hoar,  Roosevelt  and  others.  Grasp  the  spirit. of 
the  speech,  get  the  swing  of  the  sentences,  dehver  them  as 

j  if  they  were  your  own,  until  you  feel  that  you  know  what 
constitutes  a  well  plirased  address.  Then  put  your  energies 
upon  your  original  speech,  with  the  assurance  that  you  will 
realize  for  yourself  in  proportion  to  your  ideal,  your  effort 
and  your  practice. 


80  ORAL  ENGLISH 

Accuracy  in  Reading 

Accurate  reading,  that  is,  reading  exactly  what  is  written 
or  printed,  bears  a  very  definite  and  important  relation  to 
excellent  delivery.  To  some  this  may  seem  a  superfluous 
matter  in  a  discussion  of  oral  English.  If  inaccurate  reading 
were  characteristic  of  young  pupils  only,  we  might  leave  it  out 
of  consideration  here.  The  fact  is  that  inaccuracy  mars  the 
reading  of  some  well  advanced  pupils  and  its  evil  effects  are 
very  noticeable  in  the  efforts  of  many  public  speakers.  Small 
words  are  misplaced,  syllables  are  changed,  and  other  words 
are  substituted  for  those  in  the  book.  These  errors  play 
havoc  with  the  author's  thought  and  may  become  habitual. 
They  are  more  serious  than  the  occasional  slips  to  which 
all  are  liable. 

How  to  Remedy  Inaccurate  Reading. — There  is  but  one 
way  to  deal  with  inaccurate  reading.  Every  individual 
case  should  be  diagnosed  to  ascertain  the  cause  of  the  failing. 
It  may  result  from  nervousness,  poor  eyesight,  weak  grasp 
of  the  author's  thought  or  from  other  conditions.  If  the 
cause  be  found  and  removed,  wholly  or  in  part,  the  reading 
will  show  a  proportionate  improvement. 

Appreciation  of  Grammatical  Relations 

How  Knowledge  of  Grammar  Contributes  to  Oral  Read- 
ing.— A  certain  understanding  of  grammatical  relations 
is  essential  to  the  best  reading  aloud.  Without  such  an 
appreciation  of  sentence  structure,  the  reader's  words  will 
be  monotonous  and  dull,  and  the  thought  obscured.  With 
this  appreciation  the  reader  will  seem  to  seize  and  make 
prominent  the  grammatical  core  of  each  sentence,  and  re- 
duce to  subsidiary  places  the  less  important  modifying 
phrases  and  clauses. 


INTELLECTUAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH    81 

Cultivation  of  Grammatical  Appreciation  in  Reading 
Aloud. — A  better  appreciation  of  grammatical  structm-e  as 
related  to  oral  reading,  can  be  readily  cultivated  by  the 
pupil.  If  he  will  ask  himself  such  questions  as:  What  are 
the  verbs  that  go  with  that  subject?  What  is  the  principal 
clause  of  that  sentence?  Which  clauses  are  subordinate? 
What  does  this  clause  modify?  and  the  Hke,  he  will  prob- 
ably change  his  reading,  so  that  there  will  be  a  better  dis- 
crimination of  thought  values,  resulting  in  a  more  varied 
and  pleasing  dehvery  and  a  clearer  expression  of  ideas. 
Similar  questions  are  a  resource  of  the  teacher  who  finds  a 
pupil  needing  that  kind  of  spur. 

Application  of  Grammatical  Rules  in  Spoken  English. — 
In  spoken  English  the  violation  of  grammatical  rules  always 
mars  what  is  said.  It  is  often  argued  that  some  brilliant 
talkers  and  even  public  speakers  make  mistakes  in  grammar. 
True;  but  their  success  in  each  case  is  not  because  they  ignore 
grammatical  laws,  but  in  spite  of  this  handicap — they  have 
excellences  that  somehow  make  up  for  it. 

Common  Grammatical  Errors. — ^The  most  common  gram- 
matical errors  are  made  in  case  forms  of  nouns  and  pronouns, 
the  tense  forms  of  verbs,  the  agreement  of  subject  and  verb, 
and  the  agreement  of  pronouns  with  their  antecedents.  It 
is  exceedingly  important  that  early  attention  be  given  to 
the  points  of  sentence  structure,  because  acquiring  correct 
grammatical  habits  will  later  secure  unconscious  conformity 
ito  these  rules. 

Supply  correct  verb  forms  in  the  following  sentences,  and 
give  a  reason  in  a  well-worded  statement  for  your  choice  in 
each  case. 

1.  The  row  of  spectators very  quiet. 

2.  He the  work  yesterday  that  I  told  him  to  do. 

3.  This  is  one  of  the  most  important  questions  that come  up, 


82  ORAL  ENGLISH 

4.  I  should  have to  the  circus,  if  I  had  been  well. 

5.  Four  months^  interest due  to-day. 

6.  Dickens  is  one  of  the  best  writers  who won  fame  as  si 

novelist. 

7.  It look  like  rain. 

8.  I  am  writing  to  him  so  that  he be  ready  in  time. 

9.  He  meant  to the  letter  last  Monday. 

10.  General  Adams  with  his  whole  family  invited  to  the 

platform. 

11.  The  cows under  the  trees  in  the  meadow. 

12.  Please the  bowl  upon  the  table. 

Supply  correct  pronouns  in  the  following  sentences. 

1.  Either  John  or  Harry  will  let  you  look  on book. 

2.  Girls  like are  not  good  company. 

3.  Every  one  must  be  responsible  for own  books. 

4.  They  met  Robert  and  (first  person)  in  the  corridor. 

5.  are  you  going  to  vote  for? 

6.  Nobody  but  a  fool  would  have  left money  in  such  a  place. 

7.  I  am  positive  it  was  (third  person). 

8.  Do  you  remember  (first  person)  speaking  to  you  about  your 

position? 

9.  Everyone  except  you  and  (first  person)  has  gone  to  church. 

10.  I  can  run  as  fast  as  (third  person,  singular). 

11.  Many  a  sailor  has  lost life  at  sea. 

Imagination 

What  Imagination  Contributes  to  Reading  Aloud. — ^'It 

is  pretty  certain/'  says  Clifford  Harrison,  'Hhat  ninety  people 
out  of  every  hundred  who  read  a  book  to  themselves  do  not 
see  one  half  of  what  the  author  saw,  when  he  wrote  the  pages.'' 
There  is  no  doubt  that  this  lack  of  imagination  is  the  cause 
of  much  poor  reading  aloud,  for  one  cannot  express  what  he 
does  not  see  himself.  The  author  can  give  only  his  words 
in  black  and  white,  he  cannot  give  his  mental  pictures.  To 
appreciate  the  author,  the  reader  must  have  the  answering 
imagination  to  recreate  in  his  own  mind  the  scenes  described. 


INTELLECTUAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH    83 

If  a  reader  can  do  this,  he  raises  himself  in  some  degree  to 
the  plane  of  the  author,  and  by  interpretive  reading  he  may 
do  the  same  service  for  his  listeners. 

Practical  Value  of  a  Developed  Imagination. — An  active 
imagination  is  indispensable  in  many  professions.  The  land- 
scape gardener,  looking  at  a  stony,  ugly  field,  sees  its  possi- 
bilities in  his  imagination  and  transforms  it  into  an  attrac- 
tive park;  the  architect,  knowing  his  building  site  and  ma- 
terials, forms  his  plan  in  his  mind,  and  then  makes  a  draft 
of  it  on  paper;  the  scientist,  finding  a  bone  in  the  earth,  con- 
structs a  model  of  the  extinct  animal  to  which  it  belonged; 
the  author,  noting  how  the  people  of  his  mental  vision  behave 
under  different  conditions,  puts  them  in  a  novel;  and  the 
inventor,  understanding  some  of  the  phenomena  of  elec- 
tricity, makes  experiments  suggested  by  the  theories  he  has 
worked  out  in  imagination,  and  gives  us  wireless  telegraphy. 
So  the  speaker  who  can  imagine  scenes  and  conditions  in 
clear  details  is  more  likely  to  speak  of  them  well,  to  realize 
the  interests  of  his  auditors  and  thereby  compel  their  atten- 
tion. 

Helps  for  Developing  the  Imagination. — If  your  imagina- 
tion is  prolific,  rejoice  that  you  have  that  upon  which  so 
much  pleasure  and  success  depend;  but  if  your  imagination 
does  not  illuminate  literature  for  you,  and  flash  picture  upon 
picture  before  your  mind,  welcome  illustrated  books,  the 
making  of  diagrams  and  free  hand  drawings,  the  dramatiza- 
tion of  incidents,  the  representation  of  scenes  in  tableaux 
and  dialogue  or  any  other  devices  your  teacher  of  reading 
may  employ  to  help  you  develop  this  wonderful  faculty. 
Then  your  imagination  will  have,  as  Ingersoll  puts  it,  ^'a 
stage  within  the  brain,  whereon  he  sets  all  scenes  that  lie 
between  the  morn  of  laughter  and  the  night  of  tears,  and 
where  the  players  body  forth  the  false  and  true,  the  joys 


84  ORAL  ENGLISH 

and  griefs,  the  careless  shallows,  and  the  tragic  depths  of 
human  life." 

Mental  Grasp  of  the  Author^ s  Thought 

No  Vital  Reading  Without  Vital  Thinking. — In  order 
to  have  vital  reading,  it  is  absolutely  necessary  to  have  vital 
thinking  first.  Good  oral  reading  is  extracting  thought 
from  a  written  or  a  printed  page,  and  vocahzing  it  in  suqh 
a  manner  that  the  listener  understands  the  same  thought. 
If  a  reader  gets  little  or  no  thought  from  a  paragraph,  his 
reading  becomes  a  mechanical  process  of  pronouncing  words. 
This  is  unworthy  of  the  name  of  reading.  But  if  a  reader 
thinks  and  understands  deeply,  subtle  changes  will  creep 
into  his  voice  expressing  his  thought,  for  the  voice  is  a 
natural  reporter  of  mental  states. 

Effect  of  Weak  Thinking  Upon  Study. — ^Psychologists 
tell  us  that  any  mental  action  may  be  intensified  by  an  ef- 
fort of  the  will.  It  is  this  intensified  mental  action  that  is 
needed  to  improve  the  oral  reading  in  our  public  schools; 
it  is  needed,  too,  for  silent  reading.  During  a  study  period 
one  pupil  lacks  mental  energy  to  concentrate  on  a  piece  of 
literature  and  dig  out  its  treasures  of  thought;  another  list- 
lessly reads  a  page  of  history  half  a  dozen  times,  when  two 
readings  with  the  mind  concentrated  should  be  sufficient 
to  prepare  the  lesson;  and  a  third  wrestles  long  with  a  prob- 
lem in  mathematics,  until  he  suddenly  comprehends  a  condi- 
tion of  the  statement  that  has  not  dawned  upon  him  before, 
and  then  solves  it  in  five  minutes. 

Valuable  Mental  Training  Results  from  Vital  Oral  Read- 
ing.— Grasping  the  author's  thought,  therefore,  is  the  most 
important  of  all  the  elements  of  good  reading  aloud,  and 
it  should  receive  proportionate  attention.  Periods  are  well 
spent  that  are  devoted  to  arousing  the  minds  of  pupils  as  a 


INTELLECTUAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH    85 

means  to  better  oral  reading.  If  pupils  are  induced  to  quicken 
their  insight  into  what  an  author  has  written,  and  to  control 
the  thought  of  others  to  some  extent  by  expressing  what 
they  understand,  reading  will  give  as  valuable  training 
as  any  subject  taught  in  school.  More  than  that,  what- 
ever a  pupil  gains  in  mental  alertness  in  the  reading  class, 
will  be  exactly  the  training  he  most  needs  to  help  him  prepare 
his  other  subjects. 

Note  to  Teachers.  Use  all  possible  devices  to  stimulate  your  stu- 
dents to  better  thinking  in  the  reading  class.  Take  time,  occasionally, 
to  have  a  pupil  tell  the  gist  of  a  paragraph  or  stanza  before  he  reads  it 
aloud.  Again,  after  a  pupil  has  read,  question  him  upon  the  part  he 
has  not  made  clear,  and  test  what  he  has  added  to  his  original  thought 
by  a  second  reading.  Another  device  is  to  have  the  class  close  their 
books  during  a  pupil's  reading,  and  when  he  has  finished,  question  the 
pupils  as  to  what  ideas  were  not  brought  out  by  the  reader;  then  re- 
quest a  second  reading  that  the  sense  of  the  paragraph  may  be  more 
fully  given.  It  should  be  an  inspiration  to  any  pupil  to  know  that  if 
he  really  comprehends  his  reading  selections,  he  can  think  and  tell 
others  the  very  same  thoughts  that  once  surged  through  the  brains 
of  Shakespeare  or  Dickens,  of  Webster  or  Lincoln. 

SELECTION  OF  A  TOPIC 

Next  in  importance  to  the  cultivation  of  ideals  for  oral 
composition,  is  the  choice  of  subjects.  Too  difficult  topics 
are  discouraging,  and  may  cause  one  to  lose  confidence  in 
himself  and  deter  him  in  later  efforts.  Care  should  be 
taken  to  select  topics  that  are  interesting  and  within  one^s 
experience.  One  of  the  simplest  exercises  in  oral  composition 
is  to  give  verbal  reports  of  interesting  incidents  from  books, 
short  stories  or  poems  that  you  have  read  or  have  heard  others 
read.  Reports  of  every  day  experiences,  such  as:  '^what  I 
saw  on  the  way  to  school  this  morning,'^  or  '^what  we  did 
in  the  manual  training  class  yesterday/'  are  topics  that  all 
pupils  can  talk  about. 


86  ORAL  ENGLISH 

The  Purposes  of  Public  Speaking 

If  you  already  have  acquired  some  facility  in  oral  com- 
position, you  will  be  interested  in  making  your  efforts  in  oral 
composition  conform  to  the  various  purposes  in  public  speak- 
ing. By  comparing  various  talks  and  addresses  that  you 
have  heard,  you  can  soon  determine  what  the  purposes  of 
public  speaking  are. 

The  Purpose  of  Diversion. — When  you  heard  Eli  Perkins 
discuss  ''Why  We  Laugh,"  you  were  smiling  and  laughing  at 
his  illustrations  throughout  the  hour  and  were  highly  amused. 
His  purpose,  we  may  conclude,  was  entertainment  or  Diver- 
sion. 

The  Purpose  of  Instruction. — Your  Latin  teacher's  ex- 
planation of  how  Csesar  built  his  bridge,  was  an  effort  to 
make  the  various  stages  in  the  construction  of  the  bridge 
clear  to  you.  He  wished  you  to  comprehend  it,  so  his  pur- 
pose was  Instruction. 

The  Purpose  of  Impression. — Homer  Davenport's  story 
of  "Said  Abdallah"  roused  your  sympathy  for  the  home- 
sick little  Bedouin  boy,  and  your  admiration  for  his  faithful- 
ness to  his  new  master.  Your  emotions  were  stirred.  Mr. 
Davenport's  purpose,  therefore,  was  to  make  an  Impression. 

The  Purpose  of  Conviction. — Professor  Brander  Mat- 
thew's talk  on  "Simplified  Spelling"  made  you  realize  how 
silent  letters  and  strange  spelling  in  English  confuse  a  for- 
eigner. He  convinced  you  that  a  general  adoption  of  simpli- 
fied spelling  would  make  EngHsh  an  easier  language  to  learn 
and  would  increase  its  usage.  His  purpose  was  belief  or 
Conviction. 

The  Purpose  of  Persuasion. — Your  father's  talk  urging 
you  to  use  care  in  choosing  your  associates,  not  only  made  you 
believe  that  his  advice  was  good,  but  also  made  you  resolve 
to  cultivate  worthy  companions.     Your  father  hoped  to 


INTELLECTUAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH    87 

influence  your  conduct,  to  get  you  to  act  differently;  his 
purpose  was  Persuasion. 

Subservient  and  Ultimate  Purpose. — ^These  make  Five 
Purposes  in  Public  Speaking.  Under  these  all  talks,  speeches, 
sermons  and  orations,  whether  addressed  to  one  or  to  thou- 
sands, may  be  classified.  It  is  true  that  some  speeches  com- 
bine several  of  these  purposes,  but  a  thoughtful  analysis 
will  generally  show  that  one  is  the  ultimate  purpose,  while 
the  others  are  so  many  steps  that  lead  to  it.  A  speaker 
may  use  Diversion  to  gain  the  attention  of  his  audience, 
then  gradually  lead  into  arguments  for  belief  or  Conviction, 
and  close  with  an  appeal  to  individual  interests  which  makes 
Persuasion  his  ultimate  purpose. 

Note.  This  classification  of  the  purposes  of  public  speaking  is 
taken  from  *' Effective  Speaking '^  by  Arthur  Edward  Phillips,  and  is 
used  by  special  permission. 

The  Purposes  in  Public  Speaking  Illustrated.— The  fol- 
lowing brief  selections  illustrate  the  various  purposes  of 
public  speaking  and  they  will  guide  students  who  attempt 
to  speak  with  any  of  these  five  purposes  in  mind. 

PURPOSE  OF  DIVERSION 

How  To  Make  A  Million  Dollars.    From  "Literary  Lapses."    By 
Stephen  Leacock  ^ 

You  know,  many  a  man  realizes  late  in  life  that  if  when  a  boy 
he  had  known  what  he  knows  now,  instead  of  being  what  he  is  he 
might  be  what  he  won't;  but  how  few  boys  stop  to  think  that  if 
they  knew  what  they  don't  know  instead  of  being  what  they  will 
be,  they  wouldn't  be?    These  are  awful  thoughts. 

At  any  rate,  IVe  been  gathering  hints  on  how  it  is  they  do  it. 

One  thing  Fm  sure  about.  If  a  young  man  wants  to  make  a 
million  dollars  he's  got  to  be  mighty  careful  about  his  diet  and  his 
living.  This  may  seem  hard.  But  success  is  only  achieved  with 
pains. 

^  Reprinted  by  permission  of  the  author. 


88  ORAL  ENGLISH 

There  is  no  use  in  a  young  man  who  hopes  to  make  a  million  dol- 
lars thinking  he's  entitled  to  get  up  at  7.30,  eat  force  and  poached 
eggs,  drink  cold  water  for  lunch,  and  go  to  bed  at  10  p.  m.  You  can't 
do  it.  I've  seen  too  many  millionaires  for  that.  If  you  want  to  be 
a  millionaire  you  mustn't  get  up  till  ten  in  the  morning.  They 
never  do.  They  daren't.  It  would  be  as  much  as  their  business  is 
worth  if  they  were  seen  on  the  street  at  half-past  nine. 

PURPOSE  OF  INSTRUCTION 

What  Is  a  Boss?    From  "The  Honorable  Peter  Sterling."    By  Paul 
Leicester  Ford  ^ 

Are  there  not  friends  whose  advice  or  wish  would  influence  you? 
Well,  that  is  the  condition  which  creates  the  so-called  boss.  In 
every  community  ther^  are  men  who  influence  more  or  less  the  rest. 
It  may  be  that  one  can  only  influence  half  a  dozen  other  intimates. 
Another  may  exert  power  over  fifty.  A  third  may  sway  a  thousand. 
One  may  do  it  by  mere  physical  superiority.  Another  by  a  friendly 
manner.  A  third  by  being  better  informed.  A  fourth  by  decep- 
tion or  bribery.  A  fifth  by  honesty.  Each  has  something  that 
dominates  the  weaker  men  about  him. 

Take  my  ward.  Burton  is  a  prize-fighter,  and  physically  a  splen- 
did man.  So  he  has  his  little  court.  Driscoll  is  a  humorist,  and 
can  talk,  and  he  has  his  admirers.  Sloftky  is  popular  with  the 
Jews,  because  he  is  of  their  race.  Burrows  is  a  pohceman,  who  is 
liked  by  the  whole  ward,  because  of  his  kindness  and  good-nature. 
So  I  could  go  on  telling  you  of  men  who  are  a  little  more  marked 
than  the  rest,  who  have  power  to  influence  the  opinions  of  the  men 
about  them,  and  therefore  have  power  to  influence  votes.  That  is 
the  first  step  in  the  ladder.  Each  of  the  men  I  have  mentioned  can 
usually  affect  an  average  of  twenty-five  votes. 

But  now  we  get  another  rung  of  the  ladder.  Here  we  have  Den- 
nis, and  such  men  as  Blunkers,  Denton,  Kennedy,  Schlurger  and 
others.  They  not  merely  have  their  own  set  of  followers,  but  they 
have  more  or  less  power  to  dominate  the  little  bosses  of  whom  I 
have  already  spoken.  Take  Dennis  for  instance.  He  has  fifty 
adherents  who  stick  to  him  absolutely,  two  hundred  and  fifty  who 
listen  to  him  with^  interest,  and  a  dozen  of  the  smaller  bosses,  who 
pass  his  opinions  to  their  followers.  So  he  can  thus  have  some 
effect  on  about  five  hundred  votes. 

^  Reprinted  by  the  courtesy  of  Henry  Holt  &  Co. 


INTELLECTUAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH    89 

PURPOSE  OF  IMPRESSION 
A  Beautiful  Sunset.    By  Samuel  S.  Cox 

What  a  stormful  sunset  was  that  of  last  night!  How  glorious 
the  storm,  and  how  splendid  the  setting  of  the  sun!  We  do  not 
remember  ever  to  have  seen  the  like  on  our  round  globe.  The  scene 
opened  in  the  west  with  a  whole  horizon  full  of  golden  impenetrable 
lustre,  which  colored  the  foliage  and  brightened  every  object  in 
its  own  rich  dyes. 

The  colors  grew  deeper  and  richer  until  the  golden  lustre  was 
transformed  into  a  storm  cloud,  full  of  finest  lightning,  which  leaped 
in  dazzling  zigzags  all  round  and  over  the  city.  The  wind  arose 
with  fury,  the  slender  shrubs  and  giant  trees  made  obeisance  to  its 
majesty.  Some  even  snapped  before  its  force.  The  strawberry 
beds  and  grass  plots  "turned  up  their  whites"  to  see  Zephyrus 
march  by. 

As  the  rain  came,  and  the  pools  formed,  and  the  gutters  hurried 
away,  thunder  roared  grandly,  and  the  fire  bells  caught  the  excite- 
ment and  rung  out  with  hearty  chorus.  The  south  and  east  received 
the  copious  showers,  and  the  west  all  at  once  brightened  in  a  long, 
polished  belt  of  azure,  worthy  of  a  Sicilian  sky. 

Presently  a  cloud  appeared  in  the  azure  belt  in  the  form  of  a  cas- 
tellated city.  It  became  more  vivid,  revealing  strange  forms  of  peer- 
less fanes  and  alabaster  temples,  and  glories  rare  and  grand  in  this 
mundane  sphere,  reminding  us  of  Wordsworth's  splendid  verse  in 
his  "Excursion'': 

"The  appearance  instantaneously  disclosed 
Was  of  a  mighty  city — boldly  say 
A  wilderness  of  building,  sinking  far. 
And  self  withdrawn  into  a  boundless  depth, 
Far  sinking  into  splendor — without  end." 


PURPOSE  OF  CONVICTION 

The  Real  World.    From  "The  Habit  of  Immortality."    By  Lyman 

Abbott  ^ 

We  live  in  two  worlds:  a  world  that  we  can  see  and  hear  and 
touch  and  a  world  that  is  invisible,  inaudible,  intangible.  The 
invisible  world  is  the  important  world,  the  real  world,  the  enduring 
world. 

^  Reprinted  by  permission  of  The  Outlook  Co. 


90  ORAL  ENGLISH 

The  invisible  makes  the  home.  It  is  made  not  by  stone  or  brick 
or  wood,  but  by  faith  and  hope  and  love  binding  together  husband 
and  wife,  parents  and  children.  The  cynic  sneers  at  love  in  a  cot- 
tage, but  love  in  a  cottage  makes  a  home,  which  hate  in  a  palace 
can  never  make. 

The  invisible  makes  the  school.  Laboratories,  libraries,  dormi- 
tories, refectories,  do  not  make  a  school.  A  millionaire  can  never 
make  a  school.  One  of  the  greatest  schools  the  world  has  ever  seen, 
one  whose  influence  outlasts  the  centuries,  had  neither  laboratory, 
library,  nor  dormitory.  It  was  the  school  which  Plato  taught  in 
the  grove  at  Athens. 

The  invisible  makes  the  nation.  The  nation  is  not  made  great, 
it  is  not  made  rich,  it  is  not  made  at  all,  by  mines  and  forests  and 
prairies  and  water  powers.  These  all  existed  in  America  four  cen- 
turies ago,  and  America  was  not  a  great  nation.  Great  men  make 
a  nation  great;  and  the  qualities  that  make  men  great  are  invisible. 
We  see  their  effects  but  the  qualities  we  do  not  see. 

The  invisible  makes  commercial  prosperity  possible.  For  com- 
mercial prosperity  is  built  upon  credit;  and  credit  is  faith  in  the 
honesty  of  our  fellow-men;  and  honesty  is  invisible.  It  has  neither 
form,  nor  color,  nor  odor,  nor  sound.  We  cannot  see  it,  nor  hear  it, 
nor  smell  it,  nor  touch  it.  There  are  to-day  men  serving  out  their 
allotted  terms  in  State's  prison  who  a  few  months  ago  owned  a  rail- 
way or  a  bank  or  a  factory,  who  had  money  invested,  employees 
at  their  beck  and  call,  and  friends  subservient  to  them,  men  of 
energy  and  enterprise  and  financial  shrewdness,  but  who  lacked 
honesty.  And  for  lack  of  that  invisible  honesty,  they  are  bankrupt 
alike  in  property,  in  reputation,  and  in  character. 

We  are  apt  to  think  that  the  real  is  the  material  and  the  imma- 
terial is  the  unreal.  But  that  is  not  true.  The  reverse  is  true.  The 
invisible  is  the  real. 


PURPOSE  OF  PERSUASION 

The  Value  of  Physical  Exercise.    By  William  Gilbert  Anderson  ^ 

As  a  business  venture,  it  will  pay  any  man  to  exercise.  The 
effort  required  to  throw  off  the  feeling  of  lassitude  and  dullness 
experienced  by  a  busy,  tired  man  is  greater  than  that  which  is 
needed  to  make  him  rise  from  his  desk  and  exercise  for  only  a  few 
minutes.    The  throbbing  temples,  aching  head,  irritable  condition, 

^  Reprinted  by  permission  of  the  author. 


INTELLECTUAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH    91 

and  flushed  face  are  too  well  known;  they  are  the  unwelcome  asso- 
ciates of  the  hard  worker  because  he  allows  them  to  be. 

It  makes  no  difference  what  the  calling  of  a  man  may  be,  he  can- 
not make  headway  in  this  busy  world  without  using  the  body  and 
mind.  Whatever  his  profession,  he  must  use  the  brain  in  connec- 
tion with  the  servants  of  the  brain,  the  muscles.  A  well  developed 
mind  that  has  to  do  with  healthy  contractile  tissues  will  accomplish 
more  than  the  same  mind  that  can  call  on  only  poor  muscles.  The 
evidence  of  the  most  learned  and  cautious  men  bears  witness  to 
this.  We  cannot  get  good  work  out  of  tired  servants,  nor  can  we 
build  strongly  and  beautifully  with  poor  material.  The  business 
man  who  wants  to  accomplish  the  greatest  amount  of  good  with  the 
energy  at  his  disposal  can  only  go  so  far  as  his  capabilities  will  per- 
mit; one  step  beyond  this  dead  line  and  he  collapses. 

As  an  investment,  a  gilt-edged  investment,  every  energetic  worker 
should  pay  attention  to  the  health  of  the  body  and  mind. 

No  stock  company  will  make  a  greater  return  for  money  invested 
than  will  exercise.  No  dividends  will  equal  those  that  come  to  a 
man  who  cares  for  the  human  economy.  That  man  will  do  better 
work,  more  thorough  work,  and  make  more  money,  who  will  keep 
the  machinery  of  the  body  in  good  order;  he  will  live  longer,  will 
enjoy  life,  and  be  a  more  agreeable  companion  to  those  about  him. 

Forms  of  Composition  Employed  for  the  Five  Purposes 
in  Public  Speaking. — Pupils  who  are  familiar  with  the  terms 
narration,  description,  exposition  and  argumentation  can 
decide  readily  which  of  these  forms  of  composition  is  likely 
to  be  used  in  attaining  each  of  the  purposes  of  public  speak- 
ing.   Tabulated  it  would  be  something  like  this: 

PURPOSE  OF  SPEECH  FORM   OF  COMPOSITION 

Diversion  usually  attained  by        Narration  and  description 
Instruction  attained  by  Exposition 

Impression  usually  attained  by      Narration  and  description 
Conviction  attained  by  Argumentation 

Persuasion  attained  by  Argumentation  with  an  appeal  to 

personal  interests 

Topics  for  Oral  Composition 

No  arbitrary  or  complete  list  of  topics  for  oral  composition 
can  be  given;  for  each  teacher  must  choose  his  subjects  ac- 


92  ORAL  ENGLISH 

cording  to  the  advancement,  needs  and  experience  of  his 
pupils.  Current  events  and  changing  interests  at  school 
constantly  furnish  fresh  topics  for  oral  composition.  The 
following  lists  may  be  suggestive. 

PURPOSE  OF  DIVERSION 

1.  How  I  earned  my  first  dollar. 

2.  What  I  did  on  election  night. 

3.  An  incident  in  camp. 

4.  My  narrow  escape. 

5.  My  visit  to  the  zoo. 

6.  An  automobile  ride. 

7.  How  I  entertained  my  cousin. 

8.  My  funny  mistake. 

9.  A  day  on  a  farm. 
10.  My  mascot. 

PURPOSE  OF  INSTRUCTION 

1.  Directions  for  making' a  tennis  court. 

2.  How  our  athletic  association  raises  money. 

3.  Why  I  dislike  "The  Last  of  the  Mohicans"  ('or  some  othel 

book). 

4.  How  the  Titanic  might  have  been  saved. 

5.  How  a  public  playground  should  be  conducted. 

6.  Why  I  liked  the  play  "The  Dawn  of  a  To-morrow"  (substi- 

tute any  play). 

7.  How  our  fire  drill  is  conducted. 

8.  How  to  prepare  a  mathematics  lesson. 

9.  How  to  prepare  fish  for  cooking. 
10.  How  to  start  fire  without  matches. 

PURPOSE  OF  IMPRESSION 

1.  The  park  on  a  hot  afternoon. 

2.  The  park  after  a  snow  storm. 

3.  A  fireman's  bravery. 

4.  The  bootblack's  dilemma. 

5.  Hovenden's  picture  "Breaking  Home  Ties." 

6.  A  fearful  storm. 

7.  A  cowardly  act. 

8.  The  menace  of  a  dirty  street. 

9.  When  baffled,  fight  better. 
10.  An  unknown  hero. 


INTELLECTUAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH    93 


PURPOSE  OF  CONVICTION 

1.  This  school  should  have  a  longer  recess. 

2.  Two  half  holidays  per  week  would  be  better  for  our  school 

than  one  whole  holiday. 

3.  It  is  better  for  pupils  to  own  their  own  school  books  than  to 

have  them  furnished  by  the  city. 

4.  The  height  of  city  buildings  should  be  regulated  by  law. 

5.  Two  years  spent  in  traveling  is  a  better  preparation  for  life 

than  four  years  at  college. 

6.  People  that  litter  the  parks  with  papers  and  rubbish  should 

be  fined. 

7.  When  the  seats  of  a  trolley  car  are  filled,  no  more  passengers 

should  be  allowed  to  enter  the  car. 

8.  Every  pupil  of  this  school  should  belong  to  the  athletic  asso- 

ciation. 

9.  The  discipline  of  this  school  should  be  in  the  hands  of  the 

pupils  not  the  teachers. 
10.  A  large  class  does  better  work  in  any  subject  that  a  small  one. 

PURPOSE  OF  PERSUASION 

1.  My  need  of  a  new  overcoat  (to  my  father). 

2.  Why  I  should  have  two  weeks  more  of  vacation  (to  my 
mother). 

3.  A  lawyer's  plea  to  the  jury  in  behalf  of  the  prisoner. 

4.  Why  I  wish  to  go  to  college  (to  my  parents). 

5.  What  you  gain  by  joining  a  literary  club. 

6.  A  class  president's  plea  to  his  class  for  regular  attendance  at 
school. 

7.  Why  you  should  vote  for  James  Prince  as  president  of  the 
athletic  association. 

8.  A  plea  for  new  skates  (to  my  father). 

9.  Value  of  an  encyclopedia  (agent  to  customer). 
10.  Why  you  should  read  the  New  York  Times. 

PRACTICE 

Practice  a  Prime  Essential  to  Attainments  in  Oral  Com- 
position.— Good  models  and  suitable  topics,  requisite  as 
they  are,  will  avail  little  toward  facility  in  oral  composition 
unless  supplemented  by  well  directed  and  persistent  prac- 


94  ORAL  ENGLISH 

tice.  By  individual  criticisms,  the  teacher  can  help  pupils 
to  hear  themselves  as  others  hear  them,  and  he  can  keep 
ever  before  them,  the  criteria  of  clearness,  force  and  vivid- 
ness; but  the  larger  part  of  the  work,  must  be  done  with  the 
co-operation  of  the  pupils.  Even  in  schools  where  oral  Eng- 
lish is  scheduled  for  five  periods  per  week,  only  a  fraction 
of  that  time  can  be  devoted  to  oral  composition;  so,  if  a  pupil 
wishes  to  realize  what  he  is  capable  of  attaining  in  this  phase 
of  the  work,  he  must  necessarily  seize  all  possible  oppor- 
tunities for  painstaking  practice  in  oral  composition. 

Opportunities  for  Practice. — At  school  there  are  individual 
recitations  and  open  discussions  in  nearly  every  class  period, 
there  are  literary  and  debating  societies  desiring  members, 
there  are  announcements  to  be  made  to  classes  or  the 
whole  student  body,  there  are  candidates  to  be  nominated 
and  advocated  as  officers  of  the  Athletic  Association  or  some 
other  organization,  there  are  minutes  before  school,  during 
the  lunch  period  or  after  school  when  you  can  talk  with  your 
fellow  students  or  your  teachers,  there  are  sometimes  visi- 
tors who  wish  to  learn  about  the  school,  there  are  public 
debates  and  public  speaking  contests;  at  home  your  parents, 
your  brothers  and  sisters  and  your  guests  will  be  interested 
in  an  account  of  what  you  are  doing  at  school,  of  various 
school  activities,  of  what  you  have  read,  of  something  you 
or  some  of  your  friends  have  done;  at  the  homes  of  your 
friends  stories  and  bits  of  news  may  be  told  and  many  topics 
brought  into  conversation;  in  your  town  or  city  there  are 
literary  clubs  and  social  circles  in  which  you  can  participate. 
These,  and  many  more  are  opportunities  for  you  to  practice 
oral  composition.  If  you  ignore  them  and  persist  in  hap- 
hazard oral  composition  whenever  you  speak,  the  fraction 
of  time  spent  in  an  oral  English  class  cannot  avail  you 
much;  but  if  you  improve  them  trying  to  say  well  whatever 


INTELLECTUAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH    95 

you  say,  you  can  multiply  many  times  the  facility  you  gain 
in  oral  composition. 

VOCABULARY 

Familiarizing  pupils  with  new  words  is  essentially  the 
work  of  primary  grades;  but  inasmuch  as  pupils  never  cease 
to  meet  strange  words,  it  is  evident  that  some  attention 
should  be  given  to  this  phase  of  reading  wherever  the  sub- 
ject is  taught. 

Acquiring  New  Words  Depends  upon  Individual  Eflfort. — 
A  competent  teacher  by  his  example,  by  precept  and  by 
encouragement,  can  often  help  a  pupil  to  enlarge  his  vo- 
cabulary; but  he  cannot  do  the  work  alone.  The  pupil 
must  be  untiring  in  his  use  of  a  dictionary,  looking  up  the 
pronunciation  and  meaning  of  words  that  are  new  to  him. 
An  excellent  scheme  is  to  place  such  words  in  a  notebook, 
indicating  their  pronunciation  and  jotting  down  brief  defini- 
tions. By  reviewing  these  words  occasionally,  the  pupil 
will  find  that  many  of  them  have  become  familiar  to  him 
and  do  not  need  more  attention. 

Our  Two  Vocabularies. — ^Every  person  has  two  vocabu- 
laries: one  that  he  uses  in  conversation,  writing,  or  perhaps 
in  some  form  of  public  speaking;  and  a  second  and  larger 
vocabulary  that  he  comprehends  when  listening  to  a  speaker 
or  reader,  or  when  reading  himself.  To  become  proficient 
in  conversation  or  in  public  speaking,  this  vocabulary  of  use 
must  be  enlarged  imtil  it  more  nearly  includes  the  vocabulary 
of  comprehension.  The  pupil  can  do  tliis  for  himself,  by  mak- 
ing it  a  point  to  use  every  day  in  conversation,  certain  words 
from  his  notebook. 

Study  of  Synonyms,  Antonyms. — Another  source  of  great 
profit  to  a  student  desiring  to  become  skillful  in  the  use  of 
words,  is  a  careful  study  of  synonyms,  antonyms  and  Eng- 


96  ORAL  ENGLISH 

lish  idioms.  A  knowledge  of  synonyms  will  give  a  finer 
perception  of  the  exact  significance  of  words,  and  greater  dis- 
crimination in  their  use.  For  example;  one  should  know 
that  there  is  a  distinction  between  the  words  generation  and 
age.  Generation  means  the  mass  of  persons  living  at  one 
period;  while  age  refers  to  a  period  of  time,  is  a  broader  term 
and  may  include  many  generations.  The  words  are  used 
properly  in  the  following  quotations. 

"  In  the  fourth  generation  they  shall  come  hither  again."    Genesis. 

"No  age  will  come,  in  which  the  American  Revolution  will  appear 
less  than  it  is — one  of  the  greatest  events  in  human  history."  Web- 
ster. 

Thoughtful  consideration  of  antonyms  will  give  a  sense  of 
fitness  in  selecting  words  for  contrasting  ideas,  balanced* 
sentences  and  sometimes  for  parallel  constructions.  For 
instance  one  should  have  sufficient  sense  of  fitness  in  the  use 
of  words  to  realize  that  the  word  commencement  is  not  as 
appropriate  to  use  as  the  antonym  of  the  word  ending,  as 
beginning  is.  How  would  commencement  sound  in  the  sen- 
tence, '^I  am  the  beginning  and  the  ending,  the  first  and  the 
last"? 

Study  of  Idioms. — Familiarity  with  English  idioms  gives 
a  grasp  of  the  content  of  many  phrases  in  current  use,  which 
otherwise  would  be  meaningless.  To  the  foreigner  especially, 
our  idioms  are  most  perplexing.  Having  learned  and  used  a 
common  word,  he  is  astonished  when  he  finds  in  some  phrase 
the  same  word  with  no  possibility  of  its  ordinary  significance. 
The  following  are  illustrations  of  English  idiomatic  usage. 
One  cannot  be  said  to  have  a  good  command  of  spoken  Eng- 
lish, unless  he  can  understand  and  use  such  phrases. 

"  Luck  doesn^t  express  it — you're  in  clover ,  knee-deep."    Howells, 
"I  will  speak  daggers  to  her;  but  will  use  none."    Shakespeare. 


INTELLECTUAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH    97 

"My  brother  will  come  by  stage  next  Wednesday  week."    Dickens. 

"I  dropped  in  to  say  ^How  are  you^f"    Cooper. 

You  caught  a  cold  last  night  and  it's  worse  to-night. 

"He  was  still  the  most  interesting  of  men  and  of  clergymen — 
'playing  first  fiddle  in  all  societies.^'    Craik. 

"A  fig  for  your  bill  of  fare ;  show  me  your  bill  of  company .''    Swift. 

"I  had  finished  my  education.  So  I  left  Paris,  and  went  home  to 
rest  on  my  oars."    Reade. 

"The  first  dawn  of  comfort  came  to  him  in  swearing  to  himself 
that  he  would  stand  by  that  boy  through  thick  and  thin,  and  cheer 
him,  and  help  him,  and  bear  his  burdens.'^     Hughes. 

"If  Mr.  Dillon  had  said  that  such  an  outrage  as  this  was  nothing 
but  the  turning  of  the  tables  on  the  atrocities  of  the  penal  code,  we 
should  not  have  blamed  him."    Spectator. 

"Nay,  very  likely  Mrs.  Bute  Crawley  thought  her  act  was  quite 
meritorious,  and  plumed  herself  upon  her  resolute  manner  of  per- 
forming it."     Thackeray. 

A  Small  Vocabulary  Limits  Progress  in  Oral  English.— 

If  a  pupil  is  lazy  and  will  not  consult  a  dictionary,  give  at- 
tention to  the  explanations  of  words  by  his  classmates  and 
teacher,  or  question  his  elders  regarding  the  meaning  of 
words,  he  cannot  expect  to  read  intelligently.  He  will  be- 
tray his  ignorance  by  hesitating  over  words  and  mispro- 
nouncing them.  If  he  guesses  at  a  pronunciation  and  hap- 
pens to  get  it  right,  the  empty  tone  with  which  he  utters  it, 
will  tell  the  alert  listener  that  he  gets  no  thought  from  it. 
To  become  a  good  talker  or  a  public  speaker  will  be  still 
more  hopeless  for  such  a  pupil,  because  appropriate  words 
are  necessary  for  the  clear  expression  of  ideas.  A  good  com- 
mand of  words  must  be  worked  for;  it  never  comes  by  in- 
spiration. 


98  ORAL  ENGLISH 


GRASP  OF  THE  SUBJECT 


Thought  Processes  in  Reading  Aloud  Stimulate  Thought 
in  Spoken  English. — It  is  almost  superfluous  to  state  what 
has  already  been  suggested,  that  learning  to  find  the  deeper 
meaning  in  a  paragraph  or  stanza  of  literature  for  the  pur- 
pose of  better  oral  reading,  has  a  tendency  to  increase  the 
vigor  of  one^s  thinking  when  he  is  speaking  his  own  thoughts. 
This  is  one  more  argument  in  favor  of  oral  reading  as  train- 
ing for  skill  in  conversation  or  public  speaking. 

Secret  of  Vigorous  Thought  Before  an  Audience. — In 
listening  to  various  public  speakers,  we  often  wonder  at 
the  ease  with  which  they  think  while  standing  before  an 
audience;  especially  is  this  true,  when  we  hear  a  man  speak 
well  who  has  been  called  upon  unexpectedly.  We  should 
remember,  however,  that  it  is  an  impossibihty  for  a  man  to 
talk  eloquently  upon  a  subject  that  he  does  not  understand; 
and  that  the  speaker  whose  flow  of  thought  we  admire,  is 
really  only  thinking  and  teUing  the  audience  what  he  has 
previously  said  wholly  or  in  part  to  some  other  audience, 
or,  at  least,  has  thought  out  more  or  less  thoroughly  at  dif- 
ferent times.  It  is  true  that  some  people  have  much  more 
tact  than  others  in  weaving  together  an  extemporaneous 
address,  but  tact  cannot  be  rehed  upon  to  make  successful 
speeches.  It  is  ample  preparation,  alone,  that  gives  a  speaker 
perfect  command  of  his  thoughts  before  an  audience,  and 
no  great  speech  was  ever  made  without  it.  Alexander  Hamil- 
ton once  remarked,  ^^Men  give  me  credit  for  genius.  All 
the  genius  I  have  lies  in  this;  when  I  have  a  subject  in  hand, 
I  study  it  profoundly.''  And  Webster  confessed  that  it  was 
the  experience  of  twenty  years  that  enabled  him  to  make 
his  reply  to  Hayne. 


EMOTIONAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH 
EMOTIONAL  EXPRESSION 

Emotional    Expression    Universally    Understood. — It   is 

always  a  high  compliment  to  a  reader  or  speaker  when  his 
auditors  say  of  him,  "That  man  feels  what  he  says."  Gen- 
uine feeling  or  emotion  on  the  part  of  a  speaker  brings  an 
immediate  response  from  his  audience,  for  feeling  is  a  subtle 
and  universal  language.  There  can  be  no  substitute  for  it 
in  delivery.  Learning  and  affectation  have  scorned  it,  and 
tried  to  supplant  it,  but  have  always  failed. 

The  Experience  of  Actors. — It  is  true  that  some  actors 
who  mimic  the  outward  appearances  of  emotion,  declare  they 
feel  no  emotion  at  all.  But  Mr.  William  Archer,  in  his  book 
entitled,  "The  Anatomy  of  Acting,"  states  that  emotions 
master  the  actor  whenever  he  plays  well;  and  Forbes  Robert- 
son says,  "I  suffer  from  fatigue  in  proportion  to  the  amount 
of  emotion  I  have  been  called  upon  to  go  through,  and  not 
from  physical  exertion."  We  are  led  to  conclude,  then,  that  a 
speaker  with  little  feeling,  or  one  who  believes  that  he  gains 
self-control  and  dignity  by  suppressing  his  feelings,  cannot 
become  truly  effective  with  audiences. 

The  Relation  of  Feeling  to  Imagination. — ^Many  people 
have  taken  it  for  granted  that  there  can  be  no  feeling  with- 
out imagination.  This  is  not  necessarily  true.  For  in  the 
case  of  a  child  hearing  or  even  repeating  the  words  of  a  nur- 
sery rhyme,  he  may  have  little  or  no  appreciation  of  the 
thought  content  and  no  mental  pictures  in  his  imagination, 
but  the  sound  of  the  words,  the  rhythm  and  the  rhyme  arouse 

99 


100  ORAL  ENGLISH 

in  him  emotions  of  pleasure.  But  the  higher  forms  of  emo- 
tion, with  which  we  are  concerned — a  reader's  ability  to  feel 
with  his  author,  to  understand  various  types  of  men,  and  to 
appreciate  the  point  of  view  of  his  auditors — are  all  depend- 
ent upon  imagination.  However,  a  good  imagination  does 
not  always  insure  depth  of  feeling,  for  the  degree  of  emotional 
intensity  stimulated  by  the  imagination  varies  greatly  in 
different  people. 

How  the  Emotions  Affect  Delivery. — The  emotions  af- 
fect the  quality  of  the  voice,  so  that  with  normal  conditions, 
a  change  of  emotion  produces  a  change  in  the  vocal  quality. 
The  speaker  with  little  feeling  or  the  one  who  restrains  his 
emotions,  is  likely  to  be  a  monotonous  and  tiresome  speaker, 
while  the  man  of  feeling  will  have  a  variety  in  tone  color 
which  ^' rings  true"  and  holds  attention.  The  emotions 
also  have  their  expression  in  the  face,  gesture  and  bearing  of 
the  speaker.  Thus  by  physical  expression,  the  man  of  feel- 
ing again  reinforces  his  message,  and  has  an  added  power 
over  his  audience. 

Cultivation  of  the  Emotional  Nature. — The  idea  that 
to  stifle  all  emotion  is  an  evidence  of  strength  in  character, 
and  to  cultivate  feeling  a  confession  of  weakness,  is  rapidly 
passing.  Most  people  now  admit  that  a  right  development 
of  the  emotional  nature  increases  our  enjoyment  of  litera- 
ture, art  and  music,  broadens  our  sympathies  and  makes 
us  responsive  members  of  society.  Our  own  lives  are  evi- 
dence that  the  repression  of  undesirable  emotions  and  the 
expression  of  the  better  feelings,  has  a  direct  bearing  upon 
character.  How  important,  therefore,  that  the  emotional 
life  of  the  pupil  should  have  some  attention  at  school! 
Teacher  and  pupil  may  work  together  for  this  end  in 
the  oral  English  class.  Some  people  are  much  more 
limited  in  emotional  experience  than  others.     A  pupil  of 


EMOTIONAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH    101 

this  type  will  grasp  the  thought  of  a  selection,  and  have 
some  mental  pictures,  but  his  feelings  will  be  little  aroused^ 
Intensifying  the  imagination  and  recalling  emotional  ex- 
periences may  help  to  excite  the  emotions  in  such  a  case,  but 
often  physical  stimuli  are  the  only  means  of  increasing  the 
emotional  response.  If  possible  dramatizations,  scenes,  ta- 
bleaux, responsive  work,  pantomimes,  imitations  and  games 
should  then  be  introduced.  By  these  devices  the  non- 
emotional  individual  may  quicken  his  emotional  nature  in 
such  a  way  as  to  contribute  to  his  success  in  reading  aloud 
or  speaking. 

FEELING  THE  PULSE  OF  THE  AUDIENCE 

Knowing  an  Audience  by  Emotional  Sensitiveness. — 

A  reader  or  speaker  should  realize  the  effect  of  his  words 
upon  his  audience.  This  he  can  know  to  some  extent  by 
watching  and  listening  for  signs  of  attention  or  inattention, 
approval  or  disapproval.  But  the  sensitive  speaker  feels 
more  of  the  atmosphere  of  an  audience  than  his  eye  or  ear 
can  tell  him.  He  can  detect  by  emotional  sensitiveness  the 
sympathetic  or  critical  attitude  of  an  audience,  and  their 
responsiveness  or  unresponsiveness  to  his  address. 

Weakness  of  Speakers  Lacking  Emotional  Sensitiveness, 
' — Some  speakers  seem  to  have  little  or  no  emotional  sensi- 
tiveness before  an  audience.  They  take  no  cue  from  their 
auditors,  and  never  change  their  tactics.  A  speaker  of  this 
type,  a  well  known  banker,  recently  addressed  a  school  of 
East  Side  boys.  He  talked  in  platitudes  about  the  sin  of 
dying  rich.  Unfortunate  as  he  was  in  the  choice  of  a  topic, 
he  might  have  redeemed  himself,  had  he  appreciated  how 
restless  his  listeners  were,  and  changed  his  theme  to  some 
phase  of  banking  business  or  anything  from  his  experience 
which  the  average  boy  would  be  interested  to  hear  about. 


102  ORAL  ENGLISH 

But  he  talked  on  serenely  for  forty-five  minutes,  evidently, 
never  realizing  that  the  boys  were  disgusted  and  bored,  and 
that  they  heaved  siglis  of  relief  when  he  finished.  He  faced 
an  opportunity,  but  lost  it  because  he  had  not  enough  sensi- 
tiveness to  feel  the  status  of  his  audience. 

Feeling  the  Pulse  of  an  Audience  Helps  a  Speaker. — 
A  speaker  who  studies  his  audience  always  has  a  peculiar 
power.  If  his  hearers  are  cordial,  he  feels  at  ease  and  is 
stimulated  to  do  his  best;  if  they  are  cold  and  reserved, 
he  knows  that  he  has  something  to  overcome  and  directs 
his  efforts  accordingly;  if  he  drops  a  misstatement,  he  feels 
its  effect  in  time  to  make  a  correction;  and  if  his  address  has 
accomplished  its  purpose,  he  is  aware  of  that  and  can  bring 
his  remarks  to  a  close.  Macaulay  says  of  Horace  Walpole, 
that  he  'influenced  his  age  because  he  was  influenced  by 
his  age."  Therefore,  when  a  speaker's  sense  of  the  temper 
of  his  audience  helps  to  determine  the  character  of  his  ad- 
dress, we  may  say  of  him,  that  he  is  able  to  influence  his 
audience  because  he  is  influenced  by  his  audience. 

Learning  to  Feel  the  Pulse  of  an  Audience. — It  is  evi- 
dently worth  while  for  a  reader  or  speaker  to  be  susceptible 
to  the  atmosphere  of  his  audience.  How,  then,  can  a  person 
become  so?  There  is  but  one  way  to  cultivate  this  suscepti- 
bility. The  person  must  have  practice  in  speaking  before 
audiences.  He  must  expect  to  feel  and  respond  to  the  temper 
of  his  audiences,  even  though  they  be  small,  until  impres- 
sions received  from  his  auditors  are  made  to  contribute  to  his 
success  as  a  reader  or  speaker. 

ABILITY  TO  HOLD  AN  AUDIENCE 

Ability  to  Hold  an  Audience  an  Intangible  Element.— 

The  ability  to  impress  one's  hearers  and  hold  their  atten- 
tion, is  one  of  the  most  subtle  and  intangible  of  all  the  ele- 


EMOTIONAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH    103 

ments  contributing  to  excellence  in  conversation,  oral  read- 
ing or  public  speech.  We  quickly  recognize  when  a  speaker 
has  it  or  lacks  it,  but  to  define  it  or  analyze  it  is  a  difficult 
problem. 

Establishing  an  Intimate  Relation  Between  Speaker 
and  Audience. — The  speaker  who  has  this  ability  comes 
frankly  to  his  audience,  he  wins  their  confidence,  he  breaks 
down  all  barriers,  he  feels  the  atmosphere  of  his  audience 
(as  one  feels  the  atmosphere  of  an  individual),  he  reads  their 
thoughts,  he  adapts  his  speech  to  their  point  of  view  and  the 
occasion,  he  interests  them,  he  rivets  their  attention,  and,  in 
short,  he  becomes  master  of  the  situation. 

Noble  Qualities  of  Manhood  Contribute  to  the  Speaker's 
Power. — ^An  approach  to  this  power  may  be  attained  by 
studying  people  and  audiences,  by  carefully  considering  the 
purpose  of  every  speech,  by  avoiding  digressions,  by  pre- 
serving originality,  by  discriminating  well  in  the  use  of  illus- 
trations, by  shunning  tediousness,  by  cultivating  tact  in 
adjusting  one's  self  to  new  circumstances  and  by  using 
common  sense.  But  such  efforts  alone  cannot  compass  the 
orator's  spell.  Many  people  mention  personal  magnetism, 
as  the  mysterious  factor  which  supplements  these  things. 
Call  it  that,  if  you  choose,  but  it  is  something  more  than  that. 
It  springs  from  the  integrity  of  the  speaker,  from  his  sym- 
pathy with  people  and  from  the  concentration  of  his  powers 
for  noble  ends.    ^^ The  greatest  thing  in  oratory  is  the  orator.'' 

PERCEPTION  OF  VOCAL  EFFECTS 

Acute   Hearing   Results   in   Superior   Vocal   Control. — 

*^The  real  and  only  power  that  rules  in  the  art  of  singing  is 
the  perception  of  sound,"  says  an  authority  on  vocal  music. 
Perception  of  sound  rules,  too,  in  the  art  of  good  speaking, 
for  whatever  conception  of  sound  is  held  in  the  mind  will 


104  OUAL  ENGLISH 

be  manifested  in  the  speaking  voice.  The  deaf  who  learn 
to  speak,  have  no  conception  of  sound  except  what  they 
associate  with  the  mechanical  processes  of  producing  it, 
hence  their  monotonous  and  vapid  utterance.  In  the  voices 
of  children  it  is  easy  to  discern  qualities  similar  to  those 
which  they  hear  at  home  or  in  the  school  room — obviously 
the  effect  of  the  children's  conception  of  sound  upon  their 
own  vocal  efforts.  The  voices  of  the  best  actors  are  often 
revelations  of  delightful  tone  color,  because  all  their  training 
contributes  to  a  high  conception  of  expressive  speaking. 

The  Ear  can  be  Cultivated  by  Hearing  Good  Oral  Eng- 
lish.— There  is  always  some  conception  of  the  sound  of  well- 
spoken  English  in  the  mind  of  the  normal  individual,  but 
the  conception  varies  according  to  the  personal  experience — • 
according  to  what  the  individual  has  heard.  For  the  person 
who  has  heard  little  refined  English,  there  can  be  nothing 
more  helpful  than  listening  attentively  to  good  reading,  con- 
versation and  speaking.  You  should  cultivate,  then,  a  finer 
appreciation  of  vocal  effects  in  spoken  English  by  hearing  as 
many  good  readers,  conversationalists  and  public  speakers 
as  you  can,  for  your  own  speech  will  be  improved  in  propor- 
tion.to  your  appreciation  of  the  vocal  command  exemplified 
in  others. 

Note  to  Teachers.  Some  teachers  contend  that  an  instructor  in 
oral  English  should  never  read  for  his  pupils,  lest  he  lead  them  to  lose 
their  individual  interpretations  through  imitation.  It  is  well  to  remem- 
ber in  this  connection,  that  many  pupils  hear  little  or  no  good  reading, 
and  have  no  conception  of  its  sound  and  charm.  Therefore,  it  is  often 
wiser  and  more  pedagogical  to  help  the  pupils  by  reading  for  them. 

What  is  a  "Good  Ear"?— To  have  a  ''good  ear"  for 
music  means  that  the  person  grasps  musical  compositions 
readily,  and  holds  them  in  his  mind  so  that  he  can  reproduce 
them  easily  and  accurately.    To  have  a  ''good  ear"  for  oral 


EMOTIONAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH    105 

English,  is  to  be  able  to  distinguish  subtle  vowel  and  con- 
sonant sounds  and  varieties  of  expressive  elements  in  de^ 
livery,  and  to  evince  a  command  of  them  in  speech.  Some 
people  naturally  have  a  better  ear  than  others,  are  very  sus- 
ceptible to  auditory  impressions,  just  as  certain  people  are 
natural  visualists,  very  susceptible  to  impressions  received 
by  the  eye.    But  the  ear  can  be  cultivated,  making  it  possible 

I  for  nearly  everyone  to  enlarge  his  conception  of  vocal  effects 

iand  improve  his  oral  English  by  so  doing. 

Focus  Attention  on  Your  Ideal  in  Vocal  Effects. — In  the 
process  of  working  for  better  spoken  English  by  cultivating 
the  ear,  the  best  results  are  accomplished  by  centering  at- 
tention upon  the  sounds  and  effects,  as  such,  and  avoiding 
attempts  at  the  exact  physical  and  mechanical  processes 
employed  in  the  production.  Does  a  child  imitating  the 
grunt  of  a  pig  or  the  whistle  of  a  steam  engine,  stop  to  think 
how  to  do  it?  Or  does  the  humorist  mocking  the  mincing 
speech  of  a  dude  or  the  sonorous  tone  of  a  priest,  plan  how 
he  controls  his  throat?  Both  the  child  and  the  humorist 
achieve  the  results  they  wish,  and  illustrate  the  truth  of  the 
principle  that  the  end  and  not  the  means  should  be  the  ob- 
ject of  thought  in  correlating  ear  training  and  voice  culture. 
The  Oral  English  Class  an  Opportunity  for  Ear  Training. 
— The  cultivation  of  the  ear  is  incidental  to  nearly  every 
phase  of  the  work  in  an  oral  English  class.  Vocal  exercises, 
drill  in  phonetic  sounds,  practice  in  enunciation,  criticism 
of  pronunciation,  reading  or  speaking  before  the  class,  fol- 
lowing the  teacher's  suggestions  for  improved  expression, 
listening  to  the  work  of  classmates  and  giving  attention 
to  the  speech  or  reading  of  the  teacher,  are  all  opportunities 
to  train  the  ear. 

An  Untrained  Ear  a  Great  Handicap. — Many  a  pupil 
is  hampered  in  all  his  work,  because  his  ear  is  dull.    On« 


106  ORAL  ENGLISH 

schoolboy  was  pronounced  weak-minded  by  most  of  his 
teachers,  because  he  could  not  talk,  spell,  or  write  English 
as  his  classmates  did.  He  could  not  sing  the  scale  correctly. 
A  painstaking  teacher  discovered  that  he  did  not  hear  sounds 
accurately.  He  was  not  deaf,  but  he  did  not  discern  final 
consonant  sounds,  and  did  not  always  hear  articles,  preposi- 
tions and  conjunctions  when  people  spoke  or  read.  Conse- 
quently he  reported  only  what  he  heard,  omitting  many 
final  consonants,  articles,  prepositions  and  conjunctions 
both  in  conversation  and  in  composition.  The  teacher 
gave  attention  to  cultivating  his  ear,  until  he  could  sing  the 
scale  correctly,  and  detect  sounds  which  before  had  been 
to  him  vague  or  unrecognized.  Then  all  his  schoolwork 
gradually  became  that  of  a  normal  pupil  of  his  age.  No 
doubt  hundreds  of  pupils  can  improve  the  character  of  their 
work,  not  only  in  oral  English  but  in  other  subjects  as  well, 
by  cultivating  their  sense  of  hearing. 

An  Acute  Ear  Gives  an  Ideal  and  a  Gauge  for  Oral 
English. — A  fine  perception  of  vocal  effects  is  an  advan- 
tage to  a  pupil  in  two  ways.  It  gives  him  an  ideal  to- 
ward which  he  may  work,  and  enables  him  to  realize  what 
he  can  already  do.  By  thinking  how  he  delivered  a  selec- 
tion yesterday,  how  he  makes  it  sound  to-day,  and  how  he 
wishes  to  make  it  sound,  he  can  gauge  his  progress  and  com- 
pare what  he  has  already  accomplished  with  his  ideal.  The 
human  voice  yields  largely  what  is  demanded  of  it,  just  as 
a  violin  gives  forth  only  wretched  notes  when  in  the  hands 
of  a  novice,  but  responds  with  thrilling  strains  when  an  artist 
draws  the  bow.  Form  a  high  conception  of  how  you  would 
like  your  oral  English  to  sound,  by  training  your  ear;  then 
insist  that  your  discriminating  ear  help  you  acquire  more 
clearness,  strength  and  beauty  in  the  use  of  your  voice  in 
speech. 


EMOTIONAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH    107 

A  FLEXIBLE  AND  RESPONSIVE  VOICE 

The  American  Voice. — ^Americans  are  much  criticised  foi 
their  harsh  and  strident  voices.  We  have  to  admit  that  there 
is  much  ground  for  the  criticism.  Every  day  we  hear  squeezed, 
rasping,  throaty,  nasal  or  high  pitched  voices  and  are  aware 
that  they  get  ^^  on  our  nerves. ''  We  recognize,  too,  the  potent 
influence  of  agreeable  voices  when  we  hear  them.  But,  as  a 
nation,  we  have  not  yet  realized  that  it  is  worth  while  to 
cultivate  our  voices.  Now  that  we  are  awake  to  the  fact 
that  bodily  health  should  be  cultivated,  it  is  to  be  hoped 
that  the  culture  of  the  voice  will  be  considered  next,  for  the 
correct  use  of  the  voice  brings  a  healthier  condition  of  the 
throat  and  vocal  organs,  and  relieves  nervous  strain  upon 
both  the  speaker  and  the  listener.  Some  kind  of  training  is 
as  necessary  for  the  development  of  a  good  voice,  as  pruning 
and  fertilizing  are  for  the  production  of  better  apples  on  an 
apple  tree. 

The  Cultivated  Voice  is  Expressive. — Without  some 
training  for  the  voice,  there  can  be  no  approach  to  adequate 
expression.  Untrained,  the  voice  is  generally  monotonous. 
It  tires  the  listener,  and  reveals  few  distinctions  in  thought 
or  feeling.  But  if  the  human  vocal  instrument  be  tuned  by 
appropriate  exercises,  it  will  become  mellow  and  flexible, 
revealing  the  speaker's  thought  and  emotion  in  the  language 
of  tone. 

The  Cultivated  Voice  is  More  MusicaL — The  untrained 
voice  is  less  musical  and  agreeable  to  the  ear,  because  it 
does  not  make  the  most  of  the  subtonics  or  vocal  consonants 
of  our  language.  Many  times  even,  we  hear  vocal  conso- 
nants converted  into  aspirates,  or  into  vocal  consonants  that 
cannot  be  prolonged,  as  for  example;  wid  for  withj  suptrad 
for  subtract^  spinach  for  spinaj.     Most  aspirate  elements 


108  ORAL  ENGLISH 

cannot  be  prolonged,  and  are,  therefore,  unmusical  sounds. 
All  nasal  consonants  and  many  vocal  consonants  can  be 
prolonged  and  consequently  give  musical  qualities  to  the 
voice  in  the  same  way  that  the  vowels  and  diphthongs  do. 
A  comparison  of  the  vocal  effects  produced  by  reading  the 
sentences  of  the  following  groups,  will  convince  any  one 
that  the  vocal  and  nasal  consonants  contribute  much  beauty 
of  tone  quality  to  spoken  English. 

Sentences  Containing  Aspirate  Consonants 

1.  Fat  Hugh  caught  eight  white  fish. 

2.  Pitt  stopped  to  speak  what  he  thought. 

3.  What  steps  at  sea  such  fast  ships  take! 

Sentences  Containing  Vocal  Consonants 

1.  The  rider  of  the  zebra  was  glad  the  gold  was  his. 

2.  The  warrior  beguiled  the  day  with  rare  ballads. 

3.  The  dray  dragged  the  boy  over  the  bridge. 

Sentences  Containing  Nasal  Consonants 

1.  Stern  and  stanch  he  stands  with  his  gun  on  his  arm. 

2.  Many  men,  cheered  by  the  throng,  are  marching  and  singing 
along. 

3.  The  unknown  man,  sunburned  and  brown,  maintained  fine 
command  in  the  game. 

Practice  of  Vocal  Exercises. — ^To  secure  the  best  results 
in  practicing  vocal  exercises,  one  needs  the  help  of  a  com- 
petent teacher.  But  any  one  can  make  some  progress  by  a 
judicious  use  of  exercises.  Care  should  be  taken  not  to  strain 
or  overtax  the  voice. 

VOCAL  EXERCISES 

I.  For  giving  the  tone  proper  direction,  and  securing  re- 
sponse from  the  resonant  chambers,  practice  the  following 


EMOTIONAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH    109 

exercises  on  the  eight  pitches  of  a  scale  best  suited  to  the 
compass  of  the  voice. 

1.  ring,  ring,  ring. 

2.  Sing,  0  King! 

3.  m,  m,  m,  m. 

4.  n,  n,  n,  n. 

5.  Produce  a  humming  tone  with  the  lips  closed. 

6.  too,  too,  too. 

II.  For  fronting  the  tone  (bringing  it  out  of  the  throat) 
try  these  exercises,  first  in  an  ordinary  tone  of  voice,  and  then 
on  the  various  pitches  of  the  scale. 

1.  men,  men,  men.  5.  redeem,  redeem,  redeem. 

2.  Repeat  number  one  rapidly.  6.  moonbeam,  moonbeam. 

3.  dean,  dean,  dean.  7.  hi  nonny  no,  hi  nonny  no! 

4.  bim,  bim,  bim.  8.  believe,  believe,  believe. 

III.  For  relieving  tension  and  securing  free  muscular  ac- 
tion of  the  lips,  work  on  the  following  exercises  using  a  con- 
versational tone  of  voice.  It  will  do  no  harm  to  exaggerate 
the  action  of  the  lips. 

1.  ku,  x;  ku,  ah;  ku,  x;  ku,  ah.  5.  boomerang,  boomerang. 

2.  edee,  edo;  edee,  edo;  edee,  edo.       6.  anemone,  anemone. 

3.  raw  beet,  raw  beet,  raw  beet.         7.  bool  a  bool  ah! 

4.  momentum,  momentum,  momen-  8.  wa  hoo,  wa  hoo! 

tum. 

IV.  For  gaining  free  action  of  the  tongue,  practice  this 
group  of  exercises. 

1.  la,  la,  la,  la,  la,  la. 

2.  Repeat  the  above  very  rapidly. 

3.  lil,  lol,  lah;  lil,  lol,  lah. 

4.  Trill  r. 

5.  d6tty,  doty;  d6tty,  doty;  dSttJ^,  doty. 

V.  For  quality  of  tone  and  a  careful  moulding  of  the  ele 


no  ORAL  ENGLISH 

ments,  practice  the  following  exercises  on  all  the  pitches  of 
the  scale. 

1.  nom,  n5m,  nom.    (Make  the  0  well  rounded  and  full.) 

2.  nam,  nem,  mm,  nom,  num.    (Give  distinct  form  to  each  vowel.) 

3.  o,  ah,  e;  o,  ah,  e. 

4.  too,  o,  ah;  too,  o,  ah. 

5.  la,  la,  le,  li,  lo,  lu. 

6.  ba,  be,  bl,  bo,  bu. 

7.  nu,  no,  na,  na,  na,  ne,  ne,  nl. 

VI.  For  quality,  flexibility  of  voice  and  projection  of  tone, 
use  some  of  the  following  quotations  as  exercises.  Practice 
them  on  as  many  different  pitches  of  the  scale  as  the  voice 
can  take  without  straining.  Vary  the  exercises  by  practicing 
them  in  arpeggios. 

1.  While  still  young  tune  your  tongue. 

2.  Thy  longing  brings  him  home. 

3.  The  bowmen  twang  their  strings. 

4.  Calm  and  peaceful  is  my  sleep. 

5.  Now  let  us  sing,^'Long  live  the  King." 

6.  ''Green  grow  the  rushes  0!" 

7.  ''Come,"  said  the  solemn  sounding  drum. 

8.  "He  trod  the  ling  like  a  buck  in  spring." 

9.  "  They  bound  him  strong  with  leathern  thong.'' 

10.  "Alms,  for  the  love  of  Allah!" 

11.  Oh,  give  me  a  home  by  the  sounding  sea! 

12.  There  are  two  elms  forming  an  arch  of  green. 

13.  I  see  a  dancing  star  and  a  long  moonbeam. 

14.  "There  is  a  man  sky-true,  sword-strong  and  brave  to  look 

upon." 

15.  "If  only  I  could  borrow  a  rainbow  from  to-morrow!" 

16.  "The  world  is  so  full  of  a  number  of  things, 

I'm  sure  we  should  all  be  as  happy  as  kingSc" 


EMOTIONAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH    111 

17.  "Solemnly,  mournfully,  dealing  its  dole, 

The  curfew  bell  is  beginning  to  toll.'' 

18.  "For  the  moon  never  beams  without  bringing  me  dreams 

Of  the  beautiful  Annabel  Lee." 

19.  "  Sing  as  we  float  along ; 

Sing  as  the  tide  grows  strong." 

20.  "Kentish  Sir  Byng  stood  for  his  king." 

21.  "My  soul  to-day  is  far  away, 

Sailing  the  Vesuvian  Bay." 

22.  "Melancholy!    Melancholy! 

I've  no  use  for  you,  by  Golly!" 

23.  "Marching  along,  fifty  score  strong. 

Great-hearted  gentlemen,  singing  this  song." 

24.  "The  cattle  are  grazing, 

Their  heads  never  raising. 
There  are  forty  feeding  like  one." 

25.  "The  one  worth  while. 

Is  the  one  who  will  smile 

When  everything  goes  dead  wrong." 

26.  "My  castles  are  the  king's  alone 

From  turret  to  foundation  stone, 
The  hand  of  Douglas  is  his  own." 

27.  "Is  there  nothing  winging. 

Nothing,  nothing,  flinging 
Its  warm,  wild  heart  away?" 

28.  "Saddle!  saddle!  saddle! 

Redden  spur  and  thong. 
Ride  like  the  mad  tornado. 
The  track  is  lonely  and  long," 

29.  "Time  is  very  long 

Without  a  song; 
Year  long  is  the  day 
With  love  away." 


TECHNICAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH 

VOCAL  EXPRESSION 

Vocal  Expression  Defined. — ^Vocal  expression  is  the  rev- 
elation of  thought  and  feeling  by  modulations  of  the  voice. 
Wonderful  as  the  human  voice  is  in  the  production  of  vowel 
and  consonant  sounds,  it  is  still  more  wonderful  in  its  range 
of  expression  resulting  from  various  combinations  of  the 
elements  of  force,  time,  pitch  and  quality.  The  next  step  is 
to  consider  each  of  these  four  criteria. 

Force 

Force  is  easily  recognized  in  speaking  and  reading,  even 
by  untrained  ears.  However,  it  should  not  be  confused  with 
mere  loudness  for  a  big  empty  voice  is  not  a  forceful  one. 
Force  manifests  the  ^^  degree  of  mental  energy,''  and  forceful 
reading  is  that  in  which  clear  thought  predominates  and 
compels  attention. 

Emphasis 

Emphasis  Defined. — We  emphasize  thoughts  when  we  use 
a  different  degree  of  force,  a  different  pitch,  a  change  of 
time  (especially  by  pauses),  or  by  a  contrasting  quality. 
Emphasis  may  be  defined  then,  as  the  prominence  given 
to  a  word,  phrase  or  clause  in  reading  or  speaking  to  make 
the  meaning  clear.  The  following  rules  are  not  exhaustive, 
but  may  serve  as  aids  to  pupils  in  analyzing  thought  and 
relating  it  to  utterance. 

112 


TECHNICAL  ELEMENTS  IN  OhAL  ENGLISH     113 


RULES  FOR  EMPHASIS 

I.  The  subject  and  predicate  of  a  sentence  are  generally 
emphatic. 

1.  Two  firemen  appeared  and  ascended  the  ladder. 

2.  Three  hours  later,  the  Spanish  fleet  was  completely  destroyed, 

II.  Words  expressing  new  ideas  are  emphatic. 

1.  ^'I  will  buy  with  you,  sell  with  you,  talk  with  you,  walk  with 
you,  and  so  following;  but  I  will  not  eat  with  you,  drink  with  you, 
nor  pray  with  you.'^ 

III.  Words  expressing  a  contrast  of  ideas  are  emphatic. 

1.  ^'The  former  target  was  now  removed  and  a  fresh  one  of  the 
same  size  placed  in  its  room.'' 

2.  ^^I  may  neither  choose  whom  I  would,  nor  refuse  whom  I 
dislike." 

3.  "The  cynic  puts  all  human  actions  into  only  two  classes — ■ 
openly  bad  and  secretly  bad." 

IV.  Words  repeated  to  enforce  a  statement  are  emphatic. 

"The  matter  with  him?  What,  indeed,  could  invest  human 
flesh  with  such  terrors — what  but  this?  He  was — he  is — let  me 
shriek  it  in  your  ear — a  bore — a  Bore!  of  the  most  malignant  type; 
an  intolerable,  terrible,  unmitigated  BORE!" 

V.  Any  part  of  speech  may  sometimes  be  emphatic,  but 
articles,  conjunctions  and  prepositions  are  least  likely  to 
require  emphasis. 

1.  I  agree  with  the  honorable  gentleman. 

2.  Without  praise,  he  is  discouraged;  with  it,  he  becomes  over 
confident. 

3.  This  is  the  place  for  jolly  campers. 

4.  "Not  Liberty  first,  and  Union  afterward:  but  Liberty  and 
Union,  now  and  forever,  one  and  inseparable!" 

Carefully  analyze  the  following  sentences  for  their  con- 


114  ORAL  ENGLISH 

tent,  and  try  to  express  it  by  reading  each  sentence  aloud 
What  rule  for  emphasis  does  each  sentence  illustrate? 

Every  Woman:  Now,  Youth,  behold! 

Here's  Poverty.     Let's  question  her,  and  see 
If  Wealth  or  Poverty  the  kindlier  be. 

(To  Truth  disguised  as  a  beggar) 
Old  woman,  of  thy  wisdom,  prithee,  tell  us 
What  is  true  happiness?    Where  can  it  be  found? 

Truth:  A  myth — a  mocking  mirage.     A  poet's  dream. 
The  fleeting  substance  of  a  maniac's  scheme. 
A  will-o'-the-wisp  is  happiness.     When  sought, 
'Tis  ever  out  of  reach;  'tis  never  caught. 
A  timid,  hunted  hare — in  its  pursuit 
Woman  becomes  a  wanton,  man  a  brute. 
Yet  happiness  shall  surely  come  apace 
To  those  who  take  no  pleasure  in  the  chase. 
I  tell  thee — warn  thee,  Everywoman,  Youth, 
If  happiness  thou  seekest,  follow  Truth. 

Walter  Browne:  Everywoman. 
Reprinted  by  permission  of  Mrs.  Walter  Browne  and  Henry  W.  Savage. 

That  is  the  doctrine  you've  inherited  from  our  forefathers,  and  go 
on  heedlessly  proclaiming  far  and  wide — the  doctrine  that  the  mul- 
titude, the  vulgar  herd,  the  masses,  are  the  pith  of  the  people — ^that 
they  are  the  people — that  the  common  man,  the  ignorant,  unde- 
veloped member  of  society  has  the  same  right  to  condemn  and  to 
sanction,  to  counsel  and  to  govern,  as  the  intellectually  distinguished 
few. 

Henrik  Ibsen:  An  Enemy  of  the  People. 
Reprinted  by  permission  of  Walter  H.  Baker  and  Co. 

''These  are  bitter  words,  sir  Knight,"  said  Prince  Edward  with 
an  angry  frown. 

''And  they  come  from  a  bitter  heart,"  answered  the  unknown 
knight.  "A  true  Frenchman's  words  may  well  be  bitter,  for  bitter 
is  his  lot  and  bitter  his  thoughts  as  he  rides  through  his  thrice 
unhappy  country." 

A.  CoNAN  Doyle:  The  White  Company. 

It  is  easy  to  sit  in  the  sunshine  and  preach  to  the  man  in  the 
shadow. 


TECHNICAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH     115 

Burr,  at  first,  was  agreeably  attracted  to  Hamilton,  whose  radiant 
disposition  warmed  his  colder  nature;  but  when  he  was  forced  to 
accept  the  astounding  fact  that  Hamilton  had  prepared  himself 
for  the  bar  in  four  months,  digesting  and  remembering  a  mountain 
of  knowledge  that  cost  other  men  the  labor  of  years,  and  had  pre- 
pared a  manual  besides,  he  experienced  the  first  convulsion  of  that 
jealousy  which  was  to  become  his  controlling  passion  in  later  years. 

Gertrude  Atherton:  The  Conqueror. 

The  same  dualism  underlies  the  nature  and  condition  of  man. 
Every  excess  causes  a  defect;  every  defect  an  excess.  Every  sweet 
hath  its  sour;  every  evil  its  good.  Every  faculty  which  is  a  re- 
ceiver of  pleasure  has  an  equal  penalty  put  on  its  abuse.  It  is  to 
answer  for  its  moderation  with  its  life.  For  every  grain  of  wit 
there  is  a  grain  of  folly.  For  everything  you  have  missed,  you  have 
gained  something  else;  and  for  everything  you  gain,  you  lose  some- 
thing. If  riches  increase,  they  are  increased  that  use  them.  If  the 
gatherer  gathers  too  much,  nature  takes  out  of  the  man  what  she 
puts  into  his  chest;  swells  the  estate,  but  kills  the  owner. 

Ralph  Waldo  Emerson:  Compensation, 

You  think  if  you  lived  in  the  olden  days  you^d  be  a  Caesar  or  an 
Alexander.  But  you  wouldn't.  You'd  be  a  Nero — a  Nero!  Sink 
my  self-respect  to  the  extent  of  marrying  into  your  family!  Never! 
I  am  going  to  Washington  without  your  aid.  I  am  going  to  save 
my  father  if  I  have  to  go  on  my  knees  to  every  United  States  Sena- 
tor. I'll  go  to  the  White  House;  I'll  tell  the  president  what  you  are! 
Marry  your  son?    No,  thank  you!    No!  thank  you! 

Charles  Klein:  The  Lion  and  the  Mouse. 
Reprinted  by  permission  of  G.  W.  Dillingham  Co. 

In  conquering  races  the  men,  they  say,  are  superior  to  the  women, 
Jin  conquered  races  the  women  to  the  men. 

John  Galsworthy. 

A  mile  behind  is  Gloucester  town 
Where  the  fishing  fleets  put  in, 
A  mile  ahead  the  land  dips  down 
And  the  woods  and  farms  begin. 
Here,  where  the  moors  stretch  free 
In  the  high  blue  afternoon. 
Are  the  marching  sun  and  talking  sea, 
And  the  racing  winds  that  wheel  and  flee 
On  the  flying  heels  of  June. 


116  ORAL  ENGLISH 

Over  the  shelf  of  the  sandy  cove 

Beach-peas  blossom  late. 

By  copse  and  cHff  the  swallows  rove 

Each  caUing  to  his  mate. 

Seaward  the  sea-gulls  go, 

And  the  land-birds  all  are  here; 

That  green-gold  flash  was  a  vireo, 

And  yonder  flame  where  the  marsh-flags  grow 

Was  a  scarlet  tanager. 

William  Vaughn  Moody:  Gloucester  Moors. 
Reprinted  by  permission  of  Houghton  Mifflin  Co. 

The  young  man  took  out  his  handkerchief  and  wiped  his  brow. 
It  was  a  good  handkerchief,  a  good  brow,  and  the  young  man  waa 
good  to  look  at. 

O.  Henry:  His  Courier. 

When  Prue  and  I  are  most  cheerful,  and  the  world  looks  fair — we 
talk  of  our  cousin  the  curate.  When  the  world  seems  a  little  cloudy, 
and  we  remember  that  though  we  have  lived  and  loved  together 
we  may  not  die  together — we  talk  of  our  cousin  the  curate.  When 
we  plan  little  plans  for  the  boys  and  dream  dreams  for  the  girls — 
we  talk  of  our  cousin  the  curate.  When  I  tell  Prue  of  Aurelia,  whose 
character  is  every  day  lovelier — we  talk  of  our  cousin  the  curate. 
There  is  no  subject  which  does  not  seem  to  lead  naturally  to  our 
cousin  the  curate. 

George  William  Curtis:  Prue  and  I. 

The  noise  and  dust  of  the  conflict  may  hide  the  real  question 
at  issue.  Europe  may  think,  some  of  us  may,  that  we  are  fighting 
for  forms  and  parchments,  for  sovereignty  and  a  flag.  But  really 
the  war  is  one  of  opinions;  it  is  Civihzation  against  Barbarism;  it  is 
Freedom  against  Slavery.  The  cannon  shot  against  Fort  Sumter 
was  the  yell  of  pirates  against  the  Declaration  of  Independence;  the 
war-cry  of  the  North  is  the  echo  of  that  sublime  pledge.  The  result 
IS  as  sure  as  the  throne  of  God.  I  believe  in  the  possibility  of  jus- 
tice, in  the  certainty  of  union.  Years  hence,  when  the  smoke  of 
this  conflict  clears  away,  the  world  will  see  under  our  banner  all 
tongues,  all  creeds,  all  races, — one  brotherhood, — and  on  the  bank 
of  the  Potomac,  the  genius  of  Liberty,  robed  in  light,  broken  chains 
under  feet,  and  an  olive  branch  in  her  hand. 

Wendell  Phillips:  The  War  of  Liberty. 

It  was  through  the  Declaration  of  Independence  that  we  Americans 
acknowledged  the  eternal  inequality  of  man.    For  by  it  we  aboUshed 


TECHNICAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH     117 

a  cut-and-dried  aristocracy.  We  had  seen  little  men  artificially 
held  up  in  high  places,  and  great  men  artificially  held  down  in  low 
places,  and  our  own  justice-loving  hearts  abhorred  this  violence  to 
human  nature.  Therefore,  we  decree  that  every  man  should  thence- 
forth have  equal  liberty  to  find  his  own  level. 

Owen  Wister:  The  Virginian. 

Tf  learn  to  speak  off-hand  in  public,  speak  in  your  own  room, 
privately,  ten  minutes  every  day,  on  some  subject,  to  yourself. 
Don't  experiment  in  public.    It  is  an  awful  infliction. 

Newman  Hall. 

Suffice  it  to  say,  he  stayed — he  stayed — he  STAYED! — five  mortal 
weeks;  refusing  to  take  hints  when  they  almost  became  kicks;  driv- 
ing our  friends  from  us,  and  ourselves  almost  to  distraction. 

John  T.  Trowbridge:  Fred  Trover's  Little  Iron-Clad, 
Reprinted  by  permission  of  the  author. 

Time 

Significance  of  Time  in  Oral  Reading  or  in  Speech. — A 

reader  or  speaker  indicates  his  mental  estimate  of  words, 
phrases  and  clauses  by  the  time  he  gives  them  in  utterance. 
An  instructor,  explaining  a  difficult  lesson,  does  it  deliberately, 
indicating  by  his  manner  of  speech  that  he  considers  the 
lesson  important;  but  in  talking  with  an  acquaintance  about 
the  weather,  he  uses  a  much  more  rapid  rate  of  utterance, 
indicating  that  he  considers  it  relatively  unimportant. 

Time  in  Reading  or  Speech  Similar  to  Time  in  Music. — 
Time  in  reading  or  speech  is  similar  in  significance  to  time 
in  music,  and  may  be  designated  in  the  same  way  as  fast, 
moderate  or  slow^ 

Fast  time  is  an  appropriate  expression  of  lively,  joyous 
and  excited  moods,  or  sometimes  of  unimportant  ideas. 

Slow  time  is  an  appropriate  expression  of  sentiments  that 
are  characterized  by  calmness,  sympathy,  pathos,  reverence, 
awe  and  admiration,  or  of  ideas  that  are  important. 

Moderate  time  is  an  appropriate  expression  of  our  more 
common  thoughts  and  feelings. 


118  ORAL  ENGLISH 

Read  the  following  quotations  aloud,  noticing  what  kinds 
of  time  give  the  best  expression  of  the  thought. 

The  two  teams  came  together  in  a  mass  and  for  an  instant  there 
seemed  to  be  no  movement  either  way.^  Then  the  mass  began  turn- 
ing and  revolving  about  itself,  and  in  another  moment  it  went 
down.  There  were  players  on  both  sides  of  the  goal  line;  the  referee, 
blowing  his  whistle,  began  pulling  fellows  off  the  pile,  and  both  sides 
were  already  claiming  that  it  was  or  that  it  was  not  a  touch-down, 
when  as  a  matter  of  fact  no  one  knew.  But  when  the  bottom  was 
reached,  Skilton  was  found  lying  there  with  the  ball  six  inches 
across  the  line. 

Ward  and  Banks  hauled  him  to  his  feet,  while  Brewster  and  Mc- 
Neal  turned  somersaults,  and  the  others  of  the  team  pranced  round 
shaking  hands  and  pounding  one  another  on  the  back.  And  on  the 
side  lines  the  first  deafening  yell  and  cheer  had  been  supplanted 
by  the  regular,  snappy  shout,  ^^Skil-ton,  Skil-ton,  Skil-ton!''  over 
and  over  again. 

Arthur  Stanwood  Pier:  The  Game  with  St.  John^s, 
Reprinted  by  permission  of  Charles  Scribner's  Sons. 

Let  me  use  an  illustration.  We  infer  from  the  flint  implements 
recently  found  in  such  profusion  all  over  England  and  in  other 
countries,  that  they  were  produced  by  men,  and  also  that  the  Pyra- 
mids of  Egypt  were  built  by  men,  because,  as  far  as  our  experience 
goes,  nothing  but  men  could  form  such  implements  or  build  such 
Pyramids.  In  like  manner,  we  infer  from  the  phenomena  of  light 
the  agency  of  waves,  because,  as  far  as  our  experience  goes,  no 
other  agency  could  produce  the  phenomena. 

John  Tyndall. 
Reprinted  by  permission  of  D.  Appleton  &  Co. 

Love  goes  toward  love,  as  schoolboys  from  their  books. 
But  love  from  love,  toward  school  with  heavy  looks. 

Shakespeare. 

"From  the  west  there  sounded  the  harsh  gong  of  a  fire  engine 
which  was  pounding  rapidly  down  the  car  tracks.  It  came,  rocking 
in  a  whirlwind  of  galloping  horses  and  swaying  men.  The  crowd 
on  the  street  broke  into  a  run,  streaming  along  the  sidewalk  in 
the  wake  of  the  engine.  The  architect  woke  from  his  dead  thoughts 
and  ran  with  the  crowd.  Two,  three,  four  blocks,  they  sped  toward 
the  lake,  which  curves  eastward  at  this  point,  and  as  he  ran  the 


TECHNICAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH     119 

street  became  strangely  familiar  to  him.  The  crowd  turned  south 
along  a  broad  avenue  that  led  to  the  park.  Some  one  cried:  "There 
it  is!    IVs  the  hotel!'' 

Robert  Herrick:  The  Common  Lot, 

Let  me  play  the  fool: 
With  mirth  and  laughter  let  old  wrinkles  come; 
And  let  my  liver  rather  heat  with  wine, 
Than  my  heart  cool  with  mortifying  groans. 
Why  should  a  man,  whose  blood  is  warm  within, 
Sit  like  his  grandsire  cut  in  alabaster? 
Sleep  when  he  wakes,  and  creep  into  the  jaundice 
By  being  peevish? 

Shakespeare:  The  Merchant  of  Venice. 

Away!  away!  o'er  the  sheeted  ice, 

Away,  away  we  go; 
On  our  steel  bound  feet  we  move  as  fleet 

As  deer  o'er  the  Lapland  snow. 
What  though  the  sharp  north  winds  are  out. 

The  skater  heeds  them  not — 
'Midst  the  laugh  and  the  shout  of  the  jocund  rout, 

Grey  winter  is  forgot. 

Let  others  choose  more  gentle  sports, 

By  the  side  of  the  winter  hearth; 
Or 'neath  the  lamps  of  the  festal  halls, 

Seek  for  their  share  of  mirth; 
But  as  for  me,  away!  away! 

Where  the  merry  skaters  be — 
Where  the  fresh  wind  blows,  and  the  smooth  ice  glows. 

There  is  the  place  for  me. 

Ephraim  Peabody:  A  Skating  Song. 

Oh  the  long  and  dreary  Winter! 
Oh  the  cold  and  cruel  Winter! 
Ever  thicker,  thicker,  thicker 
Froze  the  ice  on  lake  and  river, 
Ever  deeper,  deeper,  deeper    • 
Fell  the  snow  o'er  all  the  landscape. 
Fell  the  covering  snow,  and  drifted 
Through  the  forest,  round  the  village. 

Henry  W.  Longfellow:  The  Song  of  Hiawatha. 
Reprinted  by  permission  of  Houghton  Mifflin  Co. 


120  ORAL  ENGLISH 

The  common  street  climbed  up  against  the  sky, 
Gray  meeting  gray;  and  wearily  to  and  fro 
I  saw  the  patient,  common  people  go, 
Each  with  his  sordid  burden  trudging  by. 
And  the  rain  dropt;  there  was  not  any  sigh 
Or  stir  of  a  live  wind;  dull,  dull,  and  slow 
All  motion;  as  a  tale  told  long  ago 
The  faded  world;  and  creeping  night  drew  nigh. 

Then  burst  the  sunset,  flooding  far  and  fleet, 
Leavening  the  whole  of  life  with  magic  leaven. 
Suddenly  down  the  long,  wet  glistening  hill 
Pure  splendor  poured — and  lo!  the  common  street 
A  golden  highway  into  golden  heaven. 
With  the  dark  shapes  of  men  ascending  still. 

Helen  Gray  Cone:  The  Common  Stred, 
Reprinted  by  permission  of  the  author. 

Subordination 

Subordination   in    Reading   or    Speaking   Explained.— 

Subordination  in  reading  or  speaking  is  gliding  over  a  word, 
phrase  or  clause  to  give  little  prominence  to  unimportant 
and  minor  ideas.  One  may  observe  that  a  speaker  often 
subordinates  a  clause  by  using  a  milder  form  of  force,  a  lower 
pitch  and  a  more  rapid  rate  than  he  employs  for  the  rest  of 
a  sentence.  Generallj^,  parenthetical  and  explanatory  ex- 
pressions, and  ideas  that  are  already  known  to  the  audience 
should  be  subordinated. 

Analyze  the  thought  of  the  following  excerpts  to  discover 
what  is  relatively  unimportant;  then  read  them  aloud,  mak- 
ing sure  that  your  voice  reports  your  estimate  of  both  the 
important  and  the  unimportant  ideas. 

"Then  come,  if  you  will,  and  listen — stand  close  beside  my  knee — 
To  a  tale  of  a  Southern  city,  proud  Charleston  by  the  sea." 

What  does  he  find? — ^let  me  ask  you  who  went  to  your  homes 
eager  to  find,  in  the  welcome  you  had  justly  earned,  full  payment 
for  four  years'  sacrifice — what  does  he  find  when,  having  followed 


TECHNICAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH     121 

the  battle-stained  cross  against  overwhelming  odds,  dreading  death 
not  half  so  much  as  surrender,  he  reaches  the  home  he  left  so  pros- 
perous and  beautiful? 

Henry  W.  Grady. 
Reprinted  by  permission  of  E.  D.  Shurter. 

The  plain  house  in  which  he  lived — severely  plain,  because  the 
welfare  of  the  suffering  and  the  slave  were  preferred  to  book,  and 
picture,  and  every  fair  device  of  art;  the  house  to  which  the  north  star 
led  the  trembling  fugitive,  and  which  the  unfortunate  and  the  friend- 
less knew — the  radiant  figure  passing  swiftly  through  these  streets, 
plain  as  the  house  from  which  it  came,  regal  with  a  royalty  beyond 
that  of  kings — the  ceaseless  charity  untold — the  strong,  sustaining 
heart — the  sacred  domestic  affection  that  must  not  here  be  named — 
the  eloquence  which,  like  the  song  of  Orpheus,  will  fade  from  living 
memory  into  a  doubtful  tale — the  surrender  of  ambition,  the  con- 
secration of  a  life  hidden  with  God  in  sympathy  with  man — these, 
all  these,  will  live  among  your  immortal  traditions,  heroic  even  in 
your  heroic  story. 

George  William  Curtis:  Eulogy  on  Wendell  Phillips, 

But  we  listened,  as  all  boys  in  their  better  moods  will  listen  (aye, 
and  men  too,  for  the  matter  of  that),  to  a  man  whom  we  felt  to  be, 
with  all  his  heart,  and  soul,  and  strength,  striving  against  whatever 
was  mean,  and  unmanly,  and  unrighteous  in  our  little  world. 

Thomas  Hughes. 

On  the  noon  of  the  fourteenth  of  November,  1743  or  1744,  I 

forget  which  it  was,  just  as  the  clock  had  struck  one,  Barbara  S , 

with  her  accustomed  punctuality,  ascended  the  long,  rambling  stair- 
case, with  awkward  interposed  landing-places,  which  led  to  the 
office,  or  rather  a  sort  of  box  with  a  desk  in  it,  whereat  sat  the  then 
treasurer  of  (what  few  of  our  readers  may  remember)  the  old  Bath 
Theatre.  All  over  the  island  it  was  the  custom,  and  remains  so  I 
believe  to  this  day,  for  the  players  to  receive  their  weekly  stipend 
on  the  Saturday.    It  was  not  much  that  Barbara  had  to  claim. 

Charles  Lamb:  The  Essays  of  Elia. 

On  May  mornings  her  slender  figure,  which  looked  as  if  it  might 
suddenly  snap  off  at  the  waist,  might  be  seen  in  the  garden,  hang- 
ing clothes  out  to  dry,  or  stooping  above  the  vegetables;  while  Mac- 
Creedy  watched  her  in  a  possessive  manner  from  the  cottage  door- 
way. When  he  was  out  it  was  she  who  would  pull  the  ferry-boat 
over,  and,  after  landing  the  passengers,  remain  motionless,  bowed 
over  her  sculls,  staring  at  them,  as  though  loth  to  lose  the  sound  of 


122  ORAL  ENGLISH 

their  footsteps;  then  she  would  pull  slowly  back  across  the  swirl  ol 
silver-brown  water,  and,  tying  up  the  boat,  stand  with  her  hand 
shading  her  eyes. 

John  Galsworthy:  A  Miller  of  Dee, 
Reprinted  by  permission  of  Charles  Scribner^s  Sons. 

"Why  do  you  lead  such  a  solitary  life?''  asked  a  friend  of  Michael 
Angelo.  "Art  is  a  jealous  mistress,''  replied  the  artist;  "she  re- 
quires the  whole  man."  During  his  labors  at  the  Sistine  Chapel, 
according  to  Disraeli,  he  refused  to  meet  anyone,  even  at  his  own 
house. 

Orison  Swett  Marden:  One  Unwavering  Aim. 

Philip  look'd, 
And  in  their  eyes  and  faces  read  his  doom; 
Then,  as  their  faces  drew  together,  groan'd, 
And  slipt  aside,  and  like  a  wounded  life 
Crept  down  into  the  hollows  of  the  wood; 
There,  while  the  rest  were  loud  in  merrymaking, 
Had  his  dark  hour  unseen,  and  rose  and  past 
Bearing  a  lifelong  hunger  in  his  heart. 

Alfred  Tennyson:  Enoch  Arden. 

There  is  scarce  any  thoughtful  man  or  woman,  I  suppose,  but 
can  look  back  upon  his  course  of  past  life,  and  remember  some  point, 
trifling  as  it  may  have  seemed  at  the  time  of  the  occurrence,  which 
has  nevertheless  turned  and  altered  his  whole  career. 

William  M.  Thackeray:  Henry  Esmond. 

I  have  been  sometimes  thinking,  if  a  man  had  the  art  of  second 
sight  for  seeing  lies,  as  they  have  in  Scotland  for  seeing  spirits,  how 
admirably  he  might  entertain  himself  in  this  town  by  observing  the 
different  shapes,  sizes  and  colors  of  those  swarms  of  lies  which  buzz 
about  the  heads  of  some  people,  like  flies  about  a  horse's  ears  in 
summer. 

Jonathan  Swift:  The  Art  of  Political  Lying. 

For  my  part,  as  soon  as  I  had  left  the  foresail  run,  I  threw  my- 
self flat  on  the  deck,  with  my  feet  against  the  narrow  gunwale  of 
the  bow,  and  my  hands  grasping  a  ring-bolt  near  the  foot  of  the 
foremast.  It  was  mere  instinct  that  prompted  me  to  do  this — which 
was  undoubtedly  the  very  best  thing  I  could  have  done — ^for  I  was 
too  much  flurried  to  think. 

For  some  moments  we  were  completely  deluged,  I  say,  and  all 


TECHNICAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH     123 

this  time  I  held  my  breath  and  clung  to  the  bolt.  When  I  could 
stand  it  no  longer  I  raised  myself  upon  my  knees,  still  keeping  hold 
with  my  hands,  and  thus  got  my  head  clear.  Presently  our  little 
boat  gave  herself  a  shake,  just  as  a  dog  does  in  coming  out  of  the 
water,  and  thus  rid  herself,  in  some  measure,  of  the  seas. 

Edgar  Allan  Poe:  A  Descent  into  the  Maelstrom. 

Grouping 

Good  Grouping  Contributes  to  Clearness  of  Thought. — 

When  reading  or  speaking  there  is  always  a  tendency  to 
divide  the  words  into  groups.  Taking  breath,  giving  atten- 
tion to  the  punctuation,  or  considering  the  thought,  will  re- 
sult in  grouping.  It  is  true  that  the  thought  or  sense  group 
and  the  punctuation  group  often  coincide;  but  as  this  is  not 
always  true,  grouping  according  to  the  thought  should  be 
given  the  preference.  Breathing  can  be  so  controlled  that 
breath  is  always  taken  before  or  after  a  thought  group; 
punctuation  marks  can  be  ignored  when  so  doing  makes  the 
thought  clearer;  and  for  the  same  reason,  pauses  can  be 
made  where  there  is  no  punctuation  at  all. 

Difficulty  in  Grouping  Words  Well  when  Reading  Poetry. 
— Many  pupils  experience  difficulty  in  reading  poetry.  They 
group  the  words  according  to  the  metrical  feet,  or  make  a 
group  of  each  line.  These  habits  can  be  overcome  by  giv- 
ing more  attention  to  the  meaning,  and  trying  to  make  it 
so  clear  that  others  cannot  help  understanding  it. 

Use  the  following  excerpts  for  practice  in  analysis  of 
thought,  and  practice  in  reading  aloud  to  express  the  thought 
by  appropriate  grouping. 

Ah,  ancient  mill,  still  do  I  picture  o'er 

Thy  cob  webbed  stairs  and  loft  and  grain-strewn  floor; 

Thy  door, — like  some  brown,  honest  hand  of  toil, 

And  honorable  with  service  of  the  soil, — 

Forever  open;  to  which,  on  his  back 

The  prosperous  farmer  bears  his  bursting  sack, 


124  ORAL  ENGLISH 

And  while  the  miller  measures  out  his  toll, 
Again  I  hear,  above  the  cogs'  loud  roll, — 
That  makes  stout  joist  and  rafter  groan  and  sway, — 
The  harmless  gossip  of  the  passing  day: 
Good  country  talk,  that  says  how  so-and-so 
Lived,  died,  or  wedded:  how  curculio 
And  codling-moth  play  havoc  with  the  fruit. 
Smut  ruins  the  corn  and  blight  the  grapes  to  boot: 
Or  what  is  news  from  town:  next  county  fair: 
How  well  the  crops  are  looking  everywhere: — 
Now  this,  now  that,  on  which  their  interests  fix, 
Prospects  for  rain  or  frost,  and  politics. 
^  While,  all  around,  the  sweet  smell  of  the  meal 
'  Filters,  warm-pouring  from  the  rolling  wheel 
Into  the  bin;  beside  which,  mealy  white. 
The  miller  looms,  dim  in  the  dusty  light. 

Madison  Cawein:  The  Old  Water-MilL 

To  give  to  the  noblest  thoughts  the  noblest  expression,  to  pene- 
trate the  souls  of  men,  and  make  them  feel  as  if  they  were  new 
creatures,  conscious  of  new  powers  and  loftier  purposes;  to  cause 
truth  and  justice,  wisdom  and  virtue,  patriotism  and  religion  to 
appear  holier  and  more  majestic  things  than  men  had  ever  dreamed 
of  before;  to  delight  as  well  as  to  convince;  to  charm,  to  win,  to 
arouse,  to  calm,  to  warn,  to  enlighten,  to  persuade — this  is  the  func- 
tion of  the  orator.  Brander  Matthews. 

Upon  the  Forest-side  in  Grasmere  Vale 
There  dwelt  a  Shepherd,  Michael  was  his  name; 
An  old  man,  stout  of  heart,  and  strong  of  limb. 
His  bodily  frame  had  been  from  youth  to  age 
Of  an  unusual  strength:  his  mind  was  keen, 
Intense,  and  frugal,  apt  for  all  affairs, 
And  in  his  Shepherd's  calling  he  was  prompt 
And  watchful  more  than  ordinary  men. 
Hence  had  he  learned  the  meaning  of  all  winds, 
Of  blasts  of  every  tone;  and,  oftentimes, 
When  others  heeded  not.  He  heard  the  South 
Make  subterraneous  music,  like  the  noise 
Of  Bagpipers  on  distant  Highland  hills. 

William  Wordsworth:  Michael, 

As  he  pressed  on  the  plain  turned  to  woods  once  more  in  the 
region  of  Wilverley  Walk,  and  a  cloud  swept  up  from  the  south, 


TECHNICAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH     125 

with  the  sun  shining  through  the  chinks  of  it.  A  few  great  drops 
came  pattering  down,  and  then  in  a  moment  the  steady  swish  of  a 
brisk  shower,  with  the  dripping  and  the  dropping  of  the  leaves. 

A.  Con  AN  Doyle. 

'Tis  night  upon  the  lake.     Our  bed  of  boughs 
Is  built  where,  high  above,  the  pine  tree  soughs. 
'Tis  still — and  yet  what  woody  noises  loom 
Against  the  background  of  the  silent  gloom! 
One  well  might  hear  the  opening  of  a  flower 
If  day  were  hushed  as  this.    A  mimic  shower 
Just  shaken  from  a  branch,  how  large  it  sounded, 
As  'gainst  our  canvas  roof  its  three  drops  bounded! 
Across  the  rumpling  waves  the  hoot-owFs  bark 
Tolls  forth  the  midnight  hour  upon  the  dark. 
What  mellow  booming  from  the  hills  doth  come? — 
The  mountain  quarry  strikes  its  mighty  drum. 

Richard  Watson  Gilder:  The  Voice  of  the  Pine. 
Reprinted  by  permission  of  Houghton  Mifflin  Co. 

Last  night  I  dreamed  a  dream  of  you.     I  thought  you  came 
And  caught  my  hands  in  yours  and  said  my  name 

Over  and  over,  till  my  soul  was  stirred 

With  that  fine  ecstacy  that  some  wild  bird 
May  know  when  first  he  feels  the  blossoming 
And  the  keen  rapture  of  the  glad  new  spring. 
Almost  to-day  I  fear  to  meet  your  eyes 
Lest  I  should  find  them  suddenly  grown  wise 

With  knowledge  of  my  heart;  almost  I  fear 

To  touch  your  hand  lest  you  should  come  too  near 
And  startled,  dazed  by  some  fierce  inner  light. 
We  both  should  cry,  ''I  dreamed  a  dream  last  night!'' 

Theodosia  Garrison:  Illumination, 
Reprinted  by  permission  of  Mitchell  Kennerley. 

Oh,  say,  Jim  Crow, 
Why  is  it  you  always  go 
With  a  gloomy  coat  of  black 
The  year  long  on  your  back? 
Why  don't  you  change  its  hue, 
At  least  for  a  day  or  two. 
To  red  or  green  or  blue? 
And  why  do  you  always  wear 


126  ORAL  ENGLISH 

Such  a  sober,  sombre  air, 
As  glum  as  the  face  of  Care? 
I  wait  for  your  reply, 

And  into  the  peaceful  pause 
There  comes  your  curious,  croaking  cry, — 
^^Oh,  because!  ^cause!  ^cause!'' 
Clinton  Scollard:  Jim  Crow  from  ''The  Lyric  Bough." 
Reprinted  by  permission  of  the  author  and  Messrs.  Sherman,  French 
and  Co. 

The  barge  she  sat  in,  like  a  burnished  throne, 

Burn'd  on  the  water;  the  poop  was  beaten  gold; 

Purple  the  sails,  and  so  perfumed  that 

The  winds  were  love-sick  with  them;  the  oars  were  silver 

Which  to  the  tune  of  flutes  kept  stroke  and  made 

The  water  which  they  beat  to  follow  faster. 

As  amorous  of  their  strokes.    For  her  own  person, 

It  beggared  all  description:  she  did  He 

In  her  pavilion,  cloth-of-gold  of  tissue, 

O'er-picturing  that  Venus  where  we  see 

The  fancy  outwork  nature:  on  each  side  her 

Stood  pretty  dimpled  boys,  like  smiling  Cupids, 

With  divers-colored  fans,  whose  wind  did  seem 

To  glow  the  delicate  cheeks  which  they  did  cool. 

And  what  they  undid  did. 

William  Shakespeare:  Antony  and  Cleopatra, 

Pauses 

How  Pauses  are  Related  to  Time. — Pauses  have  a  marked 
effect  upon  time  in  reading  or  speaking.  Frequent  and 
long  pauses  retard  the  time,  while  few  and  short  pauses  ac- 
celerate the  time.  Pauses  are  not  mere  silence,  but  are 
instants  when  the  thought  of  one  group  of  words  is  carried 
over  to  that  of  another  group,  showing  the  relation  between 
them.  No  mechanical  process  of  stopping  at  punctuation 
marks,  or  following  the  old  rule  of  counting  four  at  a  period, 
two  at  a  semi-colon  and  one  at  a  comma,  will  fill  pauses  with 
meaning.  Pauses  should  come  naturally  from  a  reader^s  or 
speaker's  effort  to  express  thought  clearly  and  impressively. 


TECHNICAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH     127 

Rhetorical  Pauses. — Pauses  are  related  to  emphasis,  be- 
cause a  pause  before  or  after  an  idea,  or  in  both  places  is 
frequently  the  best  way  of  emphasizing  it.  Such  pauses 
as  are  made  for  the  sake  of  emphasis  or  clearness  and  do 
not  coincide  with  any  marks  of  punctuation,  are  called 
rhetorical  pauses. 

Practice  the  following  examples,  giving  the  clearest  pos- 
sible grouping  of  thought.  Notice  what  use  you  make  of 
the  rhetorical  pause. 

He  finds  his  house  in  ruins,  his  farm  devastated,  his  slaves  free, 
his  stock  killed,  his  barn  empty,  his  trade  destroyed,  his  money 
worthless;  his  social  system,  feudal  in  its  magnificence,  swept  away; 
his  people  without  law  or  legal  status;  his  comrades  slain,  and  the 
burdens  of  others  heavy  upon  his  shoulders. 

Henry  W.  Grady:  The  New  South. 
Reprinted  by  permission  of  E.  D.  Shurter. 

True  hope  is  swift,  and  flies  with  swallow's  wings; 
Kings  it  makes  gods,  and  meaner  creatures  kings. 

Shakespeare. 

With  no  friend  but  his  sword,  and  no  fortune  but  his  talents,  he 
(Napoleon)  rushed  into  the  hsts  where  rank,  and  wealth,  and  genius 
had  arrayed  themselves  and  competition  fled  from  him  as  from  the 
glance  of  destiny.  He  knew  no  motive  but  interest — he  acknowl- 
edged no  criterion  but  success — he  worshipped  no  God  but  ambi- 
tion, and  with  an  Eastern  devotion  he  knelt  at  the  shrine  of  his 
idolatry. 

Charles  Phillips. 

One  who  never  turned  his  back  but  marched  breast  forward. 
Never  doubted  clouds  would  break. 

Never  dreamed,  though  right  were  worsted,  wrong  would  triumph, 
Held  we  fall  to  rise,  are  baffled  to  fight  better,  sleep  to  wake. 

Robert  Browning:  Asolando. 

Great  news  this  for  that  fierce  old  country,  whose  trade  for  a 
generation  had  been  war,  her  exports  archers  and  her  imports 
prisoners. 

A.  CoNAN  Doyle, 


128  ORAL  ENGLISH 

His  words  are  bonds,  his  oaths  are  oracles, 
His  love  sincere,  his  thoughts  immaculate, 
His  tears  pure  messengers  sent  from  his  heart, 
His  heart  as  far  from  fraud  as  heaven  from  earth. 

William  Shakespeare:  Two  Gentlemen  of  Verona, 

A  fair  and  luminous  mind  creates  a  body  after  its  own  image. 
With  health  and  a  soul,  nor  man  nor  woman  can  be  other  than 
beautiful,  whatever  the  features.  The  most  potent  charm  is  that 
of  expression.  As  the  moonlight  clothes  the  rugged  and  jagged 
mountains  so  a  noble  mind  transfigures  its  vesture. 

Bishop  John  L.  Spalding:  Opportunity, 
Reprinted  by  permission  of  A.  C.  McClurg  and  Company. 

He  was  a  worshipper  of  liberty,  a  friend  of  the  oppressed.  A 
thousand  times  I  have  heard  him  quote  these  words:  "For  Justice 
all  place  a  temple,  and  all  seasons,  summer."  He  believed  that  hap- 
piness was  the  only  good,  reason  the  only  torch,  justice  the  only 
worship,  humanity  the  only  religion,  and  love  the  only  priest.  He 
added  to  the  sum  of  human  joy;  and  were  every  one  to  whom  he 
did  some  loving  service  to  bring  a  blossom  to  his  grave,  he  would 
sleep  to-night  beneath  a  wilderness  of  flowers. 

Robert  G.  Ingersoll:  At  His  Brother^ s  Grave, 
Reprinted  by  permission  of  C.  P.  Farrell. 

On  the  following  day  the  attack  was  made,  but  it  was  unsuc- 
cessful. The  whole  state  was  now  alarmed,  and  all  the  frontier 
settlers  left  alive  had  flocked  to  the  larger  and  more  protected  towns. 
It  had  also  developed  during  the  day  that  there  was  a  pretty  large 
party  of  Sioux  who  were  ready  to  surrender,  thereby  showing  that 
they  had  not  been  party  to  the  massacre  nor  indorsed  the  hasty 
action  of  the  tribe. 

C.  Alexander  Eastman:  Old  Indian  Days, 
Reprinted  by  permission  of  Doubleday  Page  &  Co. 

To  recreate  in  your  own  brain  the  imagery  of  a  poem  is  to  be- 
come in  some  degree  a  poet  yourself. 

Bliss  Perry. 

0  thou  king,  the  Most  High  God  gave  Nebuchadnezzar  thy  father 
the  kingdom,  and  greatness,  and  glory,  and  majesty:  and  because 
of  the  greatness  that  he  gave  him,  all  the  peoples,  nations,  and  lan- 
guages trembled  and  feared  before  him:  whom  he  would  he  slew, 


TECHNICAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH     129 

and  whom  he  would  he  kept  alive;  and  whom  he  would  he  raised  up, 
and  whom  he  would  he  put  down. 

Daniel,  V  18-19. 

Be  calm  in  arguing,  for  fierceness  makes  error  a  fault  and  truth 
discourtesy. 

George  Herbert. 

Pitch 

Variety  of  Pitch  in  the  Speaking  Voice. — The  average 
compass  of  the  human  voice  in  reading  or  speaking  is  more 
than  an  octave,  yet  we  think  little  of  pitches  of  the  voice 
except  in  singing.  We  are  more  conscious  of  pitch  when  lis- 
tening to  a  voice  that  is  abnormally  high,  low  or  monotonous, 
than  when  hearing  a  voice  with  good  range.  Saying  a  sen- 
tence and  then  humming  it,  will  convince  any  one  that  won- 
derful changes  in  pitch  are  constantly  used  in  reading  and 
speaking.  Notice  the  changes  in  pitch  in  these  lines  from 
Browning's  Herve  Riel. 

"  Here's  the  English  at  our  heels ;  would  you  have  them  take  in  tow 
All  that's  left  us  of  the  fleet,  linked  together  stern  and  bow. 
For  prize  to  Plymouth  Sound?" 

The  Melody  of  Sentences. — The  changes  in  pitch  used 
in  a  sentence,  make  the  melody  of  that  sentence;  and  the 
melody  varies  with  the  thought  that  is  conveyed.  If  John 
Doe  meets  tw^o  classmates  who  have  attended  a  literary 
society  meeting,  and  inquires,  ^^Did  you  have  a  good  de- 
bate to-day,  boys?",  one  might  say,  ^^I  think  so,"  indicating 
frankly  that,  in  his  opinion,  it  was  a  good  debate,  the  other 
might  say,  "I  think  so,"  virtually  saying,  it  was  fair,  but 
uninteresting  and  an  awful  bore.  The  words  are  the  same 
in  both  instances,  but  the  melody  in  each  case  tells  the  boy's 
real  thought.  So  in  reading,  different  people  will  give  about 
the  same  melody  to  a  sentence,  if  they  apprehend  the  same 


130  ORAL  ENGLISH 

thought  in  it;  but  failure  to  grasp  the  meaning  will  give  a 
wrong  melody. 

Keys  Occur  in  Speech  as  in  Music. — Besides  the  melody 
of  sentences,  it  may  be  observed  that  sometimes  low  pitches 
predominate  in  the  voice,  and  we  say  the  person  is  speaking 
in  a  low  key;  at  other  times,  high  pitches  predominate,  and 
we  say  he  is  speaking  in  a  high  key.  Here,  again,  the  changes 
in  pitch  are  caused  by  mental  states;  for  when  one  is  reflec- 
tive or  self -controlled,  his  condition  of  mind  is  manifested 
in  low  keys  of  voice,  but  if  he  becomes  excited  over  some- 
thing or  loses  his  self-control,  this  is  evidenced  in  high  keys. 

♦ 
Awake,  awake! — 
Ring  the  alarum-bell. — Murther  and  treason! — 
Banquo  and  Donalbain! — Malcolm!  awake! 
Shake  off  this  downy  sleep,  death's  counterfeit, 
And  look  on  death  itself!  up,  up,  and  see 
The  great  doom's  image! — Malcolm!  Banquo! 
As  from  your  graves  rise  up,  and  walk  like  sprites. 
To  countenance  this  horror.    Ring  the  bell. 

William  Shakespeare:  Macbeth. 

0  lady,  twine  no  wreath  for  me, 
Or  twine  it  of  the  cypress-tree! 
Too  lively  glow  the  lilies  light, 
The  varnished  holly's  all  too  bright, 
The  May-flower  and  the  eglantine 
May  shade  a  brow  less  sad  than  mine; 
But,  lady,  weave  no  wreath  for  me, 
Or  weave  it  of  the  cypress-tree. 

Sir  Walter  Scott:  The  Cypress  Wreath 

Hallo! — ^What?    Where,  what  can  it  be 
That  strikes  up  so  deliciously? 

1  never  in  my  life — what?  no! 
That  little  tin  box  playing  so? 
It  really  seemed  as  if  a  sprite 

Had  struck  among  us  swift  and  light, 
And  come  from  some  minuter  star 
To  treat  us  with  his  pearl  guitar. 


TECHNICAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH     131 

Hark!  It  scarcely  ends  the  strain, 

But  it  gives  it  o'er  again, 

Lovely  thing!  and  runs  along 

Just  as  if  it  knew  the  song, 

Touching  out,  smooth,  clear  and  small, 

Harmony,  and  shake,  and  all: 

Now  upon  the  treble  lingering, 

And  at  last  upon  the  close 

Coming  with  serene  repose. 

^  Leigh  Hunt:  On  Hearing  a  Little  Musical  Box. 
Reprinted  by  permission  of  E.  P.  Button  and  Company. 

The  weather,  for  many  a  day  and  night,  has  been  so  wet  that  the 
trees  seem  wet  through,  and  the  soft  loppings  and  prunings  of  the 
woodman's  ax  can  make  no  crash  or  crackle  as  they  fall.  The  deer, 
looking  soaked,  leave  quagmires,  where  they  pass.  The  shot  of  a  rifle 
loses  its  sharpness  in  the  moist  air.  The  view  from  my  Lady  Ded- 
lock's  own  windows  is  alternately  a  lead-colored  view,  and  a  view 
in  Indian  ink.  The  vases  on  the  stone  terrace  in  the  foreground 
catch  the  rain  all  day;  and  the  heavy  drops  fall,  drip,  drip,  drip, 
by  day  and  night,  upon  the  broad  flagged  pavement,  called,  from 
old  time,  the  Ghost's  Walk. 

Charles  Dickens:  Bleak  House, 

Bury  the  Great  Duke 

With  an  empire's  lamentation, 

Let  us  bury  the  Great  Duke 

To  the  noise  of  the  mourning  of  a  mighty  nation. 

Mourning  when  their  leaders  fall, 

Warriors  carry  the  warrior's  pall, 

And  sorrow  darkens  hamlet  and  hall. 

Where  shall  we  lay  the  man  whom  we  deplore? 
Here,  in  the  streaming  London's  central  roar. 
Let  the  sound  of  those  he  wrought  for, 
And  the  feet  of  those  he  fought  for, 
Echo  round  his  bones  forevermore. 

Lead  out  the  pageant:  sad  and  slow. 
As  fits  a  universal  woe. 
Let  the  long,  long  procession  go, 
And  let  the  sorrowing  crowd  about  it  grow, 
And  let  the  mournful  martial  music  blow; 
The  last  great  Englishman  is  low. 
Alfred  Tennyson:  Ode  on  the  Death  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington. 


132  ,  ORAL  ENGLISH 

Meanwhile  the  criers  were  calling  the  defendant  at  the  four 
corners  of  the  lists.  '^Oyes!  Oyes!  Oyes!  Richard  Drayton,  duke 
of  Nottingham,  come  to  this  combat  in  which  ye  be  enterprised  to 
discharge  your  sureties  this  day  before  our  liege,  the  king,  and  to 
encounter  in  your  defence  Henry  Mansfield,  knight,  the  challenger. 
Oyes!  Oyes!  Oyes!  Let  the  defendant  come!'' 

The  portals  are  open,  the  white  road  leads 

Through  thicket  and  garden,  o'er  stone  and  sod. 
On,  up!    Boot  and  saddle!    Give  spurs  to  your  steeds! 
There's  a  city  beleagured  that  cries  for  men's  deeds, 
For  the  faith  that  is  strength  and  the  love  that  is  God! 
On  through  the  dawning!    Humanity  calls! 

Life's  not  a  dream  in  the  clover! 
On  to  the  walls,  on  to  the  walls, 
On  to  the  walls,  and  over! 

Hermann  Hagedorn:  A  Troop  of  the  Guard. 
Reprinted  by  permission  of  Houghton  Mifflin  Co. 

^^The  order  I  have  ever  given  in  war,  I  give  now:  we  war  against 
the  leaders  of  evil,  not  against  the  hapless  tools, — we  war  against 
our  oppressors,  not  against  our  misguided  brethren.  Strike  down 
every  plumed  crest,  but  when  the  strife  is  over  spare  every  common 
man !  Hark !  while  I  speak,  I  hear  the  march  of  your  foe !  Up  stand- 
ards!— blow  trumpets! — And  now,  as  I  brace  my  bassinet,  may  God 
grant  us  all  a  glorious  victory,  or  a  glorious  grave.  On,  my  merry 
men!  show  these  London  loons  the  stout  hearts  of  Warwickshire 
and  Yorkshire.  On,  my  merry  men!  A  Warwick!  A  Warwick!" 
Edward  Bulwer=Lytton:  The  Last  of  the  Barons, 

Hardly  had  the  Raven  flown  away,  when  out  from  their  habita- 
tion in  the  moss,  the  flowers  and  the  grass,  trooped  a  legion  of 
fairies, — yes,  right  there  before  the  old  poet's  eyes  appeared,  as  if 
by  magic,  a  mighty  troop  of  the  dearest  little  fays  in  all  the  world. 
,  Each  of  these  fairies  was  about  the  height  of  a  cambric  needle. 
The  lady  fairies  were,  of  course,  not  so  tall  as  the  gentlemen  fairies, 
but  all  were  of  quite  as  comely  figure  as  you  could  expect  to  find 
among  real  folk.  They  were  quaintly  dressed;  the  ladies  wearing 
quilted  silk  gowns  and  broad  brim  hats  with  tiny  feathers  in  them, 
and  the  gentlemen  wearing  curious  little  knickerbockers,  with  silk 
coats,  white  hose,  ruffled  shirts  and  dainty  cocked  hats. 

Eugene  Field  :  The  Fairies  of  Pesth. 
Reprinted  by  permission  of  Charles  Scribner's  Sons. 


TECHNICAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH     133 

Inflection 

Inflections  defined. — ^An  inflection  is  a  quick  glide  ol 
the  voice  over  several  successive  notes  of  the  scale.  It  occurs 
upon  emphasized  words,  and  if  the  word  has  more  than 
one  syllable,  upon  the  accented  syllable  of  that  word.  There 
are  three  inflections;  the  falling,  rising  and  circumflex. 

Falling  Inflection. — The  falling  inflection  shows  that  a 
positive  assertion  is  made,  or  that  a  thought  is  complete. 

1.  He  has  made  a  mistake,  he  is  wrong,  entirely  wrong. 

2.  They  drove  the  first  line  back  upon  the  second,  the  second 
back  upon  the  third  and  there  they  died. 

3.  "Speak,  what  trade  art  thou?'' 

Note.  Observe  that  an  interrogative  sentence  having  the  force  of  a 
command,  is  expressed  with  a  falling  inflection. 

Rising  Inflection. — The  rising  inflection  indicates  doubt, 
uncertainty  or  pleading  or  that  a  thought  is  incomplete. 

1.  I  think  it's  true,  but  I'm  not  sure. 

2.  "0,  speak  to  me  no  more; 
These  words  like  daggers  enter  in  mine  ears: 
No  more,  sweet  Hamlet." 

3.  When  a  fireman  climbs  a  wall  with  his  scaling  ladder,  and  de- 
scends under  the  weight  of  a  fainting  woman;  when  he  makes  a 
bridge  of  his  back  that  those  in  peril  may  walk  over  him  to  safety; 
when  he  hangs  by  his  legs  from  a  roof  and  swings  one  man  after 
another  from  a  window  below  out  of  danger  to  his  side;  when  strapped 
to  his  seat  on  his  engine,  turning  a  corner  at  full  speed,  he  over- 
turns the  engine  to  save  an  old  apple  woman  from  being  run  down, 
we  cheer  him, — we  give  him  medals,  we  make  much  of  him  in  the 
pubhc  prints. 

Jacob  A.  Riis:  Heroes  Who  Fight  Fire 
Reprinted  by  permission  of  the  author. 

Circumflex  Inflection. — The  circumflex  inflection  com- 
bines a  rising  and  a  falling  glide,  or  a  falling  and  a  rising,  as 


134  ORAL  ENGLISH 

the  case  may  be.    It  indicates  sarcasm  or  a  complex  state  oi 
mind. 

1.  Oh,  yes!  he's  a,  fine  ball  player. 

2.  Good  morning,  are  you  up  for  all  day? 

3.  "I  am  not  bound  to  please  thee  with  my  answer." 

4.  "Look  at  his  togs,  Fagin!"  said  Charley,  putting  the  light  so 
close  to  his  new  jacket  as  nearly  to  set  him  on  fire.  "Look  at  his 
togs, — superfine  cloth,  and  the  heavy-swell  cut!  Oh,  my  eye,  what 
a  game!   And  his  books,  too;  nothing  but  a  gentleman,  Fagin!" 

"Delighted  to  see  you  looking  so  well,  my  dear,"  said  the  Jew, 
bowing  with  mock  humility.  "The  Artful  shall  give  you  another 
suit,  my  dear,  for  fear  you  should  spoil  that  Sunday  one.  Why 
didn't  you  write,  my  dear,  and  say  you  were  coming?  We'd  have 
got  something  warm  for  supper." 

Charles  Dickens:  Oliver  Twist, 

Grasp  the  spirit  of  the  following  passages,  then  try  to 
voice  it  as  you  read  the  lines.  Read  the  lines  a  second  time 
observing  what  use  you  make  of  inflections. 

I  said  in  my  heart,  "I  am  sick  of  four  walls  and  a  ceiling. 

I  have  need  of  the  sky. 

I  have  business  with  the  grass. 

I  will  up  and  get  me  away  where  the  hawk  is  wheeling, 

Lone  and  high. 

And  the  slow  clouds  go  by. 

I  will  get  me  away  to  the  woods. 

The  dogwood  calls  me,  and  the  sudden  thrill 

That  breaks  in  apple  blooms  down  country  roads 

Plucks  me  by  the  sleeve  and  nudges  me  away. 

The  sap  is  in  the  boles  to-day, 

And  in  my  veins  a  pulse  that  yearns  and  goads." 

Richard  Hovey:  Spring. 
Reprinted  by  permission  of  Duffield  and  Company. 

"'Why,  where  are  you  goin'  to?'  the  appointee  of  the  Crown 
asks  after  a  while. 

"'Well,  my  home  port's  Gloucester.' 
'Gloucester?    That's  in  the  States,  isn't  it?' 


m/ 


TECHNICAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH     135 

"'What!' I  says. 

" '  Yes,  yes,  I  think  IVe  heard  of  it,  Captain.  Oh,  dear  me,  yes— 
a  fishin'  village,  but  I  don't  remember  seein'  it  on  any  map.' 

"Well,  I  could  have  hove  him  over  where  he  stood — a  fishin' 
village!  Village!  There,  thinks  I,  is  another  of  them  that  imagines 
that  in  Gloucester  the  fishermen  live  in  little  huts  on  the  beach  and 
every  evenin'  after  putting  out  the  cat,  we  takes  a  lantern  and 
looks  our  little  boats  over,  and,  maybe  with  the  wife  and  the  chil- 
dren to  help,  hauls  'em  a  foot  or  two  higher  on  the  beach  so  the 
flood  tide  won't  float  'em  off  durin'  the  night.  Village!  And  not 
on  the  map!  'why,  you  pink-haired  tea-drinker,'  I  came  near  sayin' 
'Gloucester's  all  over  the  map.'  But  I  didn't.  I  did  say,  though, 
'  Gloucester's  the  greatest  fishin'  port  in  the  world,'  a  bit  warm  may 
be." 

James  Brendan  Connolly:  The  Crested  Seas. 
Reprinted  by  permission  of  Charles  Scribner's  Sons. 

Are  we  not  then  called  upon  by  the  highest  duties  to  our  country, 
to  its  free  institutions,  to  posterity,  and  to  the  world,  to  rise  above 
all  local  prejudices  and  partialities,  to  discard  all  collateral  questions, 
to  disregard  every  subordinate  point,  and  in  a  general  spirit  of 
compromise  and  concession,  uniting  heart  and  hand  to  preserve 
for  ourselves  the  blessings  of  a  free  government,  wisely,  honestly, 
and  faithfully  administered,  and  as  we  received  them  from  our 
fathers,  to  transmit  them  to  our  children?  Should  we  not  justly 
submit  ourselves  to  eternal  reproach,  if  we  permitted  our  indiffer- 
ences about  mere  men  to  bring  defeat  and  disaster  upon  our  cause? 
Our  principles  are  imperishable,  but  men  have  but  a  fleeting  exis- 
tence, and  are  themselves  liable  to  change  and  corruption  during 
its  brief  continuance. 

Henry  Clay:  Public  Spirit  in  Politics. 

The  landlord  pointing  to  the  new  arrival,  said: — 

" This  is  the  driver  I  been  expectin' !  He'll  take  you.  This  man" 
— he  now  pointed  to  me — "wants  to  go  to  the  college  at  7.30." 

"He'll  have  to  get  somebody  else.  I  got  to  take  Dick  Sands  over 
to  Millwood  Station;  his  mother's  took  bad  again." 

"What  Dick  Sands?"  came  a  voice  from  the  other  side  of  the 
stove. 

"Why,  Dick  Sands,"  replied  the  driver  in  a  positive  tone. 

"Not  Dick  Sands?''  The  voice  expressed  not  only  surprise  but 
incredulity. 

"Yes,  DICK  SANDS,"  shouted  the  driver  in  a  tone  that  carried 


136  OHAL  ENGLISH 

with  it  his  instant  intention  of  breaking  anybody's  head  who  doubted 
the  statement. 

"That  so?    When  did  he  git  out?" 

"Oh,  a  month  back." 

F.  HoPKiNSON  Smith:  Dick  Sands  Convict, 
Reprinted  by  permission  of  Houghton  Mifflin  Co. 

Brutus.    What,  Lucius!  ho! — 
I  cannot,  by  the  progress  of  the  stars. 
Give  guess  how  near  to  day. — Lucius,  I  say! — 
I  would  it  were  my  fault  to  sleep  so  soundly. — 
When,  Lucius,  when?    Awake,  I  say!    What,  Lucius! 

Lucius,  (entering)  Caird  you,  my  lord? 

Brutus.  Get  me  a  taper  in  my  study,  Lucius; 
When  it  is  lighted,  come  and  call  me  here. 

Lucius.  I  will,  my  lord. 

William  Shakespeare:  Julius  Ccesar, 

From  a  certain  point  of  view,  you  both  may  be  in  the  right. 

"It  seems  to  me,  reverend  father,  that  the  small  morsels  which 
you  eat,  together  with  this  holy  but  somewhat  thin  beverage,  have 
thriven  with  you  marvellously.  You  appear  a  man  more  fit  to 
win  the  ram  at  a  wrestling  match,  or  the  ring  at  a  bout  at  quarter- 
staff,  or  the  bucklers  at  a  sword-play,  than  to  linger  out  your  time 
in  this  desolate  wilderness,  saying  masses,  and  living  upon  parched 
pease  and  cold  water." 

Sir  Walter  Scott:  Ivanhoe. 

Solness — So  that  is  it,  is  it?  Halvard  Solness  is  to  see  about  re- 
tiring now!  To  make  room  for  younger  men!  For  the  very  young- 
est, perhaps !   He  must  make  room.  Room !  Room ! 

Brovik — ^Why,  good  heavens!  there  is  surely  room  for  more  than 
one  single  man — 

Solness — Oh,  there's  not  so  very  much  room  to  spare  either.  But, 
be  that  as  it  may — I  will  never  retire!  I  will  never  give  way  to 
anybody!  Never  of  my  own  free  will.  Never  in  this  world  will  I 
do  that! 

Henrik  Ibsen:  The  Master  Builder, 
Reprinted  by  permission  of  Walter  H.  Baker  &  Co. 

Well,  Stover,  come  a  little  nearer.  Take  the  seat  between  Stone 
and  Straus.  Straus  will  be  better  able  to  take  his  little  morning 
nap.    A  little  embarrassed,  Stover?    Dear  me!    I  shouldn't  have 


TECHNICAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH     13? 

thought  that  of  you.  Sit  down  now  and — try  to  put  a  little  gingei 
into  the  class,  Stover.  Now  for  a  bee-ootiful  recitation.  Splendid 
spring  weather — yesterday  was  a  cut;  of  course  you  all  took  the 
hour  to  study  conscientiously — eager  for  knowledge.  Fifth  and 
Sixth  rows  go  to  the  board. 

Owen  Johnson;  The  Varmint. 
Reprinted  by  permission  of  Doubleday  Page  &  Co. 

Sopyright,  1910. 

^^What!"  said  Mrs.  Gamp,  "you  bage  creetur,  have  I  know'd 
Mrs.  Harris  five-and-thirty  year,  to  be  told  at  last  that  there  ain^t 
no  sech  a  person  livinM  But  well  mayn't  you  believe  there's  no 
sech  a  creetur,  for  she  wouldn't  demean  herself  to  look  at  you,  and 
often  has  she  said,when  I  have  made  mention  of  your  name,  which, 
to  my  sinful  sorrow,  I  have  done,  *What,  Sairey  Gamp!  debage 
yourself  to  her!^    Go  along  with  you!" 

"I'm  a  goin',  ma'am,  ain't  I?"  said  Mrs.  Prig. 

"You  had  better,  ma'am,"  said  Mrs.  Gamp. 

"Do  you  know  who  you're  talking  to,  ma'am?"  inquired  her 
visitor. 

"Aperiently  to  Betsey  Prig.  Aperiently  so,  /  know  her.  No  one 
better.    Go  along  with  you ! ' ' 

"And  you  was  a  going  to  take  me  under  you!"  cried  Mrs.  Prig. 
"Foii  was,  was  you?  Oh  how  kind!  Why  deuce  take  your  im- 
perence,  what  do  you  mean?" 

"Go  along  with  you!"  said  Mrs.  Gamp.    "I  blush  for  you." 

"You  had  better  blush  a  little  for  yourself,  while  you  are  about 
it!"  said  Mrs.  Prig. 

Charles  Dickens:  Martin  Chuzzlewit. 

Some  morning  when  the  roar  of  March  winds  is  no  more  heard 
in  the  tossing  woods,  but  along  still  brown  boughs  a  faint,  veil-like 
greenness  runs;  when  every  spring,  welling  out  of  the  soaked  earth, 
trickles  through  banks  of  sod  unbarred  by  ice;  before  the  red  of  apple- 
buds  becomes  a  sign  in  the  low  orchards,  or  the  high  song  of  the 
thrush  is  pouring  forth  far  away  at  wet  pale-green  sunsets,  the 
sower,  the  earliest  sower  of  the  hemp,  goes  forth  into  the  fields. 

James  Lane  Allen:  The  Reign  of  Law. 

"The  books  belong  to  the  old  gentleman,"  said  Oliver,  wringing 
his  hands;  "to  the  good,  kind,  old  gentleman  who  took  me  into  his 
house,  and  had  me  nursed,  when  I  was  near  dying  of  fever.  Oh, 
pray  send  them  back;  send  him  back  the  books  and  money.  Keep 
me  here  all  my  life  long;  but  pray,  pray  send  them  back.    He'U 


138  ORAL  ENGLISH 

think  I  stole  them;  the  old  lady:  all  of  them  who  were  so  kind  to 
me:  will  think  I  stole  them.  Oh,  do  have  mercy  upon  me,  and 
send  them  back!" 

Charles  Dickens:  Oliver  Twist. 

Some  day  I  think  he  will  know  and  I  wonder  what  he  will  think 
of  me  then. 

Maurice  Maeterlinck. 

She  cried:  "For  the  dear  love  of  Him  who  gave 
His  life  for  ours,  my  child  from  bondage  save, 
My  beautiful,  brave  first-born,  chained  with  slaves 
In  the  Moor's  galley,  where  the  sun-smit  waves 
Lap  the  white  walls  of  Tunis!"     "What  I  can 
I  give,"  Tritemius  said, — "  my  prayers."    "0  man 
Of  God!"  she  cried,  for  grief  had  made  her  bold, 
"Mock  me  not  so;  I  ask  not  prayers,  but  gold; 
Words  cannot  serve  me,  alms  alone  suffice; 
Even  while  I  plead,  perchance  my  first-born  dies!" 

John  G.  Whittier:  The  Gift  of  Tritemius, 
Reprinted  by  permission  of  Houghton  Mifflin  Co. 

Quality 

What  is  Quality  of  Voice? — We  refer  to  the  quality  of 
tone  when  we  say  of  a  voice,  it  is  pure,  clear,  rich,  sympa- 
thetic, harsh,  full,  metallic,  nasal,  or  resonant.  It  is  quality 
that  gives  individuality  to  voices;  and  it  is  control  of  the 
varieties  of  quality  that  enables  an  actor  to  simulate  the 
voice  of  fear,  aw^e,  defiance,  love  and  the  whole  gamut  of 
feeling;  and  to  play  many  different  roles. 

As  the  quality  of  tone  from  a  violin  string  depends  upon 
the  size,  shape  and  texture  of  its  resonant  chamber,  the 
violin  box,  so  the  quality  of  a  voice  depends  upon  the  shape 
and  size  of  the  resonant  chambers  of  the  voice — ^the  nares, 
pharynx,  mouth  and  trachea — and  the  condition  of  the 
walls  a,nd  membraneous  linings  of  these  cavities. 

Control  of  Quality. — The  shape  and  size  of  the  nares  and 
trachea  are  practically  fixed,  but  the  pharynx  and  mouth 
may  be  changed  by  various  adjustments  of  the  tongue  and 


TECHNICAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH     139 

soft  palate.  The  quality  of  voice  in  each  individual  is,  there- 
fore, partly  fixed  and  partly  changeable.  Because  it  is  partly 
fixed,  we  recognize  the  voice  of  a  friend,  although  he  may 
utter  a  groan,  or  shout  in  an  ecstacy  of  joy;  and  because  it  is 
partly  changeable,  his  every  emotion  is  manifested  by  subtle 
changes  in  quality,  so  that  even  when  he  reads  aloud,  the 
feelings  aroused  in  him  by  the  literature  are  expressed  in 
tones.  Some  people,  of  course,  have  command  of  a  much 
greater  variety  in  quality  of  tone  than  others,  because  the 
changes  in  the  quality  of  the  individual  voice  are  always  in 
direct  proportion  to  the  emotional  temperament  of  the  in- 
dividual and  the  responsiveness  of  his  voice. 

Cultivation  of  Variety  and  Richness  of  Tone  Quality. — 
The  man  of  feeling  is  a  man  of  imagination.  A  vivid  imagina- 
tion causes  emotions,  and  emotions  result  in  variety  of 
tone  quality;  thus  the  development  of  the  expressive  element 
known  as  quality  depends,  primarily,  upon  the  cultivation 
of  the  imagination — an  essential  of  good  oral  English  already 
discussed.  It  depends,  also,  upon  a  second  essential  of  the 
best  oral  English  previously  presented,  namely,  a  flexible 
and  responsive  voice.  In  short,  the  end  of  all  vocal  culture 
should  be  to  secure  better  quality  of  tone.  As  a  prominent 
teacher  has  reiterated:  'Hhe  first  aim  in  the  cultivation  of 
the  voice,  is  quality;  the  second  aim  in  the  cultivation  of  the 
voice,  is  quality,  and  the  third  aim  in  the  cultivation  of  the 
voice,  is  QUALITY!'' 

Quality  as  a  Criterion  of  Reading  or  Speaking. — If  a 
reader  or  speaker's  voice  is  monotonous  in  quality  during 
delivery,  it  indicates  that  he  needs  some  kind  of  vocal  train- 
ing, that  he  does  not  think  his  thoughts  at  the  time  of  ut- 
terance, or  that  he  has  little  imagination  and  feeling.  A 
wrong  quality  in  the  voice  indicates  lack  of  vocal  control,  a 
wrong  thought  or  a  wrong  feeling. 


140  ORAL  ENGLISH 

Yield  to  the  imagination  in  reading  the  following  ex- 
cerpts. Do  not  strive  for  any  particular  quality  of  voice, 
but  note  the  vocal  effects  when  the  feeling  is  strong. 

Meantime,  Mr.  Brocklehurst,  standing  on  the  hearth  with  his 
hands  behind  his  back,  majestically  surveyed  the  whole  school. 
Suddenly  his  eye  gave  a  blink,  as  if  it  had  met  something  that  either 
dazzled  or  shocked  its  pupil;  turning,  he  said  in  more  rapid  accents 
than  he  had  hitherto  used:  ^^Miss  Temple,  Miss  Temple,  what — what 
is  that  girl  with  curled  hair?  Red  hair,  ma'am,  curled  all  over?" 
And  extending  his  cane  he  pointed  to  the  awful  object,  his  hand 
shaking  as  he  did  so. 

''It  is  Julia  Severn,"  replied  Miss  Temple,  very  quietly. 

''Juha  Severn,  ma'am!  And  why  has  she,  or  any  other,  curled 
hair?  Why,  in  defiance  of  every  precept  and  principle  of  this  house, 
does  she  conform  to  the  world  so  openly — here  in  an  evangelical, 
charitable  establishment — as  to  wear  her  hair  one  mass  of  curls?" 

''Julia's  hair  curls  naturally,"  returned  Miss  Temple,  still  more 
quietly. 

"Naturally!  Yes,  but  we  are  not  to  conform  to  nature:  I  wish 
these  girls  to  be  the  children  of  Grace:  and  why  that  abundance? 
I  have  again  and  again  intimated  that  I  desire  the  hair  to  be  ar- 
ranged closely,  modestly,  plainly.  Miss  Temple,  that  girl's  hair 
must  be  cut  off  entirely;  I  will  send  a  barber  to-morrow." 

Charlotte  Bronte:  Jane  Eyre, 

Under  the  wide  and  starry  sky, 
Dig  the  grave  and  let  me  lie. 
Glad  did  I  live  and  gladly  die, 
And  I  laid  me  down  with  a  will. 

This  be  the  verse  you  grave  for  me: 
Here  he  lies  where  he  longed  to  be; 
Home  is  the  sailor ^  home  from  the  sea. 
And  the  hunter  home  from  the  hill. 

Robert  Louis  Stevenson:  Requiem. 

When  we  hear  Uncle  Sidney  tell 

About  the  long-ago 
An'  old,  old  friends  he  loved  so  well 

When  he  was  young — My-oh! — 
Us  children  all  wish  we^d  'a'  bin 

A-livin'  then  with  Uncle, — so 
We  could  a-kindo'  happened  in 

On  them  old  friends  he  used  to  know! — 


TECHNICAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH     141 

The  good,  old-fashioned  people — 
The  hale,  hard-working  people — 
The  kindly  country  people 
'At  Uncle  used  to  know! 
James  Whitcomb  Riley:  The  Good  Old-fashioned  People. 
Reprinted  by  permission  of  Charles  Scribner's  Sons. 

How  many  a  time  have  I 
Cloven,  with  arm  still  lustier,  breast  more  daring, 
The  wave  all  roughened;  with  a  swimmer's  stroke 
Flinging  the  billows  back  from  my  drenched  hair, 
And  laughing  from  my  lip  the  audacious  brine, 
Which  kissed  it  like  a  wine  cup,  rising  o'er 
The  waves  as  they  arose,  and  prouder  still 
The  loftier  they  uplifted  me:  and  oft. 
In  wantonness  of  spirit,  plunging  down 
Into  their  green  and  glassy  gulfs,  and  making 
My  way  to  shells  and  seaweed,  all  unseen 
By  those  above,  till  they  waxed  fearful;  then 
Returning  with  my  grasp  full  of  such  tokens 
As  showed  that  I  had  searched  the  deep;  exulting 
With  a  far  dashing  stroke,  and  drawing  deep 
The  long-suspended  breath,  again  I  spurned 
The  foam  which  broke  around  me,  and  pursued 
My  track  like  a  sea-bird. — I  was  a  boy  then. 

Lord  Byron:  The  Two  Foscari, 

He  gave  us  all  a  good-bye  cheerily 

At  the  first  dawn  of  day; 
We  dropped  him  down  the  side  full  drearily 

When  the  light  died  away. 
It's  a  dead,  dark  watch  that  he's  a-keeping  there, 
And  a  long,  long  night  that  lags  a-creeping  there, 
Where  the  trades  and  the  tides  roll  over  him 

And  the  great  ships  go  by. 

He's  there  alone  with  the  green  seas  rocking  him 

For  a  thousand  miles  around; 
He's  there  alone  with  dumb  things  mocking  him, 

And  we're  homeward  bound. 
It's  a  long,  lone  watch  that  he's  a-keeping  there. 
And  a  dead,  cold  night  that  lags  a-creeping  there, 
While  the  months  and  the  years  roll  over  him 

And  the  great  ships  go  by. 


142  ORAL  ENGLISH 

I  wonder  if  the  tramps  come  near  enough — 

As  they  thrash  to  and  fro, 
And  the  battleship's  bells  ring  clear  enough 

To  be  heard  down  below; 
If  through  all  the  lone  watch  that  he's  a-keeping  there, 
And  the  long,  cold  night  that  lags  a-creeping  there 
The  voices  of  the  sailor-men  shall  comfort  him 

When  the  great  ships  go  by. 

Henry  Newbolt:  ''Messmates''  from  The  Island  Race. 
Reprinted  by  permission  of  the  John  Lane  Company. 

Then,  like  a  charge  of  ten  thousand  lancers,  come  the  wind  and 
the  rain,  their  onset  covered  by  all  the  artillery  of  heaven.  The 
lightnings  leap,  hiss,  and  blaze;  the  thunders  crack  and  roar;  the 
rain  lashes;  the  waters  writhe;  the  wind  smites  and  howls.  For  five, 
for  ten,  for  twenty  minutes, — ^for  an  hour,  for  two  hours, — the  sky 
and  the  flood  are  never  for  an  instant  wholly  dark,  or  the  thunder 
for  one  moment  silent;  but  while  the  universal  roar  sinks  and  swells, 
and  the  wide  vibrant  illumination  shows  all  things  in  ghostly  haK- 
concealment,  fresh  floods  of  lightning  every  moment  rend  the  dim 
curtain  and  leap  forth;  the  glare  of  day  falls  upon  the  swaying  wood, 
the  reeling,  bowing,  tossing  willows,  the  seething  waters  and  the 
whirling  rain;  then  all  are  dim  ghosts  again,  while  a  peal,  as  if  the 
heavens  were  rent,  rolls  off  around  the  sky,  comes  back  in  shocks 
and  throbs,  and  sinks  in  a  long  roar  that  before  it  can  die  is  swal- 
lowed up  in  the  next  flash  and  peal. 

George  W.  Cable:  Bonaventure, 
Reprinted  by  permission  of  Charles  Scribner's  Sons. 

Richard  Talbot — Look  you,  old  Rickby;  this  is  not  the  first  time. 
Charm  all  the  broomsticks  in  town,  if  you  like;  bewitch  all  the 
tables  and  saucepans  and  mirrors  you  please;  but  gull  no  more 
money  out  of  young  girls.  Mind  you!  We're  not  so  enterprising 
in  this  town  as  at  Salem;  but — it  may  come  to  it!  So  look  you 
sharp!    I'm  not  blind  to  what's  going  on  here. 

Goodby  Rickby — Not  blind.  Master  Puritan?  Oho!  You  can  see 
through  all  my  counterfeits,  can  ye?  So !  you  would  scrape  all  the 
wonder  out'n  the  world,  as  I  have  scraped  all  the  meat  out'n  my 
punkin-head  yonder!  Aha!  wait  and  see!  Afore  sundown,  I'll  send 
ye  a  nut  to  crack,  shall  make  your  orthodox  jaws  ache.  Your  serv- 
ant, Master  Deuteronomy! 

Percy  W.  Mackaye  :  The  Scarecrow. 

Mateo  Falcone  felt  the  earth  with  the  butt  of  his  gun,  and  found 
it  soft  and  easy  to  dig.    The  place  seemed  suitable  to  his  purpose. 


TECHNICAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH     143 

"Fortunato,  go  up  to  that  big  rock." 

The  child  did  as  he  was  told,  and  then  knelt. 

"Say  your  prayers." 

"Father,  my  father,  do  not  kill  me." 

"Say  your  prayers!"  repeated  Mateo  in  a  terrible  voice. 

The  child,  stammering  and  sobbing,  recited  the  Pater  and  the 
Credo.  The  father  responded  Amen  in  a  loud  voice  at  the  end  of 
each  prayer. 

"Are  those  all  the  prayers  you  know?" 

"Father,  I  know  the  Ave  Maria  too,  and  the  litany  my  aunt 
taught  me." 

"It  is  very  long,  but  never  mind." 

The  child  finished  the  litany  in  a  stifled  voice. 

"Have  you  done?" 

"0  father,  have  mercy!  forgive  me!  I  will  not  do  it  again!  I 
will  beg  my  cousin  the  Corporal  ever  so  hard  that  Gianetto  may 
be  pardoned!" 

He  was  still  speaking;  Mateo  had  cocked  his  gun,  and  took  aim, 
saying:  "May  God  forgive  you!" 

The  child  made  a  desperate  effort  to  get  up,  and  embrace  his 
father's  knees;  but  he  had  not  the  time.  Mateo  fired,  and  Fortunato 
fell  stone-dead. 

Pkosper  Mi^rim^^e:  Mateo  Falcone. 

While  thus  employed,  Gerard  was  busy  about  the  seated  corpse, 
and,  to  his  amazement,  Denys  saw  a  luminous  glow  spreading 
rapidly  over  the  white  face. 

Gerard  blew  out  the  candle.  And  on  this  the  corpse's  face  shone 
still  more  like  a  glow-worm's  head. 

Denys  shook  in  his  shoes,  and  his  teeth  chattered. 

"What  in  Heaven's  name  is  this?"  he  whispered. 

"Hush!  'tis  but  phosphorous.    But  'twill  serve." 

"Away!  they  will  surprise  thee." 

Charles  Reade:  The  Cloister  and  the  Hearth. 

"I  am  not  dehrious,  nor  have  I  been  so  at  all.  Don't  you  beheve 
that  if  they  say  so.  I  am  only  in  great  misery  at  what  I  have  done: 
and  that,  with  the  weakness,  makes  me  seem  mad.  But  it  has  not 
upset  my  reason.  Do  you  think  I  should  remember  all  about  my 
mother's  death  if  I  were  out  of  my  mind?  No  such  good  luck. 
Two  months  and  a  half,  the  last  of  her  life,  did  my  poor  mother 
live  alone,  distracted  and  mourning  because  of  me;  yet  she  was  un- 
visited  by  me,  though  I  was  living  only  five  miles  off.  Two  months 
and  a  half — ^seventy-five  days  did  the  sun  rise  and  set  upon  her  in  thai 


144  ORAL  ENGLISH 

deserted  state  which  a  dog  didn't  deserve!  Poor  people  who  had 
nothing  in  common  with  her  would  have  cared  for  her,  and  visited 
her  had  they  known  her  sickness  and  loneliness;  but  I,  who  should 
have  been  all  to  her,  stayed  away  like  a  cur.'' 

Thomas  Hardy:  The  Return  of  the  Native* 

Sez  Corporal  Madden  to  Private  McFadden: 
'^Bedad,  yer  a  bad  'un! 
Now  turn  out  yer  toes! 
Yer  belt  is  unhooket, 
Yer  cap  is  on  crooket, 
Ye  may  not  be  dhrunk, 
But,  be  jabers,  ye  look  it! 
Wan — ^two! 
Wan — two! 
Ye  monkey-faced  divil,  I'll  jolly  ye  through! 
Wan — two! — 
Time!    Mark! 
Ye  march  hke  the  aigle  in  Cintheral  Parrk!" 

Robert  W.  Chambers:  The  Recruit. 
Reprinted  by  permission  of  the  author  and  D.  Appleton  and  Company. 

PHYSICAL  RESPONSE 

Physical  Response  Enforces  Speech. — ^How  often  do  we 
hear  some  one  say,  ''I  couldn't  see  the  speaker^s  face,  and 
that  spoiled  the  address  for  me!''  As  auditors,  we  always 
like  to  see  the  reader  or  speaker  because  the  face  and  bear- 
ing of  an  able  speaker  reinforce  what  he  says.  The  Reverend 
John  Watson  had  this  in  mind  when  he  said,  '^The  voice  of 
the  competent  speaker  is  not  so  much  sound  merely,  but  is 
so  much  music  with  subtle  intonations  and  delicate  modula- 
tions; his  pronunciation  of  a  word  is  a  commentary  upon  it, 
his  look  as  he  speaks  a  translation  of  it  J' 

Physical  Response  to  Thought  is  Natural. — In  his  work 
on  psychology.  Professor  William  James  affirms  that,  ''all 
mental  states  (no  matter  what  their  character  as  regards 
utility  may  be)  are  followed  by  bodily  activity  of  some  sort.'' 
It  is  true  that  the  response  is  often  inconspicuous,  but  it  is, 


TECHNICAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH     145 

nevertheless,  natural  that  there  should  be  some  bodily 
change.  So  people  that  inhibit  their  physical  responses  to 
their  thoughts,  not  only  make  themselves  appear  like  wooden 
Indians,  but,  also,  defy  nature. 

The  Error  of  Making  Elaborate  Gestures. — On  the  other 
hand,  readers  and  speakers  who  plan  elaborate  gestures, 
also  defy  nature;  for  they  ignore  her  gentle  promptings,  and 
substitute  spectacular  movements  that  they  mistake  for 
manifestations  of  eloquence,  but  which  the  ^^ judicious'* 
know  are  abominable  gyrations,  usually  born  of  a  desire  to 
*^show  off.''  These  spectacular  efforts  may  generally  be 
classed  under  the  head  of  descriptive  gestures.  A  descrip- 
tive gesture  is  a  bodily  movement  that  pictures  what  the 
words  describe. 

Descriptive  Gestures  Illustrated. — These  descriptive  ges- 
tures are  the  pitfall,  not  only  of  most  amateur  speakers  and 
actors,  but  of  many  people  who  ought  to  know  better.  If 
the  words  tell  of  some  personal  action,  like  ringing  a  bell, 
whipping  a  horse,  waving  a  handkerchief  or  even  bowing  the 
head  or  advancing  a  step,  inartistic  speakers  employ  descrip- 
tive gestures  to  depict  these  actions.  If  the  action  of  in- 
animate things,  like  floating  clouds,  arching  trees,  pelting 
rain  or  tossing  waves  is  mentioned,  they  persist  in  accom- 
panying the  words  with  an  effort  to  point  out  the  objects 
definitely  or  describe  the  actions  in  pantomime,  and  some 
would  even  attempt  to  tell  about  an  aching  heart  or  an  an- 
guished soul  by  acting  it  out. 

The  Widespread  Teaching  of  Descriptive  Gestures  is 
Lamentable. — Incredible  as  it  may  seem,  the  teaching  of 
these  ridiculous  descriptive  gestures  is  widespread  in  our 
schools,  both  public  and  private.  Pupils  from  the  kinder- 
garten to  the  college  are,  in  many  cases,  actually  being 
taught  to  make  such  gestures.     This  is  the  most  lament- 


146  ORAL  ENGLISH 

able  thing  about  the  whole  matter;  for  when  such  instruc- 
tion is  given,  we  cannot  wonder  that  educators  have  doubts    ♦ 
about  the  benefits  of  courses  in  elocution  and  public  speaking. 

When  it  is  Right  to  Use  Descriptive  Gestures. — It  is  true 
that  descriptive  gestures  have  their  place  in  expression. 
They  are  often  necessary  to  make  clear  and  definite  what  is 
complicated  or  vague,  and  they  are  always  legitimate  in 
humor  and  burlesque,  for  that  is  their  particular  province. 

Self-Manifestive  Gestures. — Another  kind  of  gesture  to 
be  avoided,  is  the  self-manifestive  gesture.  A  self-mani- 
festive  gesture  is  one  which  reveals  some  personal  char- 
acteristic of  the  speaker  and  has  no  relation  whatever  to 
what  is  being  quoted  or  spoken.  The  girl  who  fumbles  with 
the  lace  on  her  gown  evidences  her  own  nervousness  and 
not  her  feeling  about  the  poem  she  is  reciting.  The  preacher 
who  rotates  his  right  fist  in  his  left  palm  during  the  first 
part  of  his  sentence,  and  then  raises  the  right  hand  and 
quickly  extends  it  toward  his  audience  with  open  palm  later 
in  his  sentence,  only  betrays  the  fact  that  he  was  pitcher  on 
the  base-ball  nine  when  he  was  at  college,  and  does  nothing 
that  reinforces  his  spoken  word.  These  are  examples  of  self- 
manifestive  gestures. 

Sympathetic  Gestures  Defined  and  Illustrated. — Sym- 
pathetic gestures  are  movements  that  show  the  reader  or 
speaker's  sympathy  with  what  he  is  reading  or  saying.  They 
often  suggest  actions,  but  do  not  imitate  them.  If  I  say, 
'Hhe  man  grabbed  the  gold  chain  and  broke  it  asunder,^' 
accompanying  the  words  by  a  movement  as  if  actually 
clutching  a  chain  with  clenched  fists,  and  then  suddenly 
partuig  them,  I  am  using  descriptive  gesture;  but  if  I  only 
extend  my  hands  forward  in  prone  position  and  quickly  sep- 
arate them,  I  am  using  a  sympathetic  gesture.  Again,  if  I 
state,  "I  saw  the  clouds  rest  on  a  lonely  hill,"  and  at  the 


TECHNICAL  ELEMENTS  IN  ORAL  ENGLISH     147 

same  time  point  and  look  in  a  definite  direction,  I  am  using 
a  descriptive  gesture;  but  if  I  keep  my  eyes  on  my  audience 
and  sweep  the  arm  out  in  a  general  way  when  uttering  the 
clause,  the  gesture  becomes  sympathetic. 

Emotionally  Manifestive  Gestures  Defined  and  Illus- 
trated.— Emotionally  manifestive  gestures  are  movements 
resulting  from  the  speaker's  emotions  that  have  been 
aroused  by  the  literature  he  is  interpreting,  or  (in  case  of  an 
original  speech)  by  the  stimulus  of  his  own  thoughts.  For 
example,  a  person  reading  the  lines,  '^McGrath's  fellow  fire- 
men yelled  to  him  not  to  attempt  the  rescue,  for  it  was  too 
hazardous, '^  might  almost  unconsciously  clench  his  hands 
as  he  pictured  to  himself  the  tension  of  the  situation.  This 
would  be  an  emotionally  manifestive  gesture. 

Hindrances  and  Helps  to  Expression  by  Gesture. — Henry 
Ward  Beecher  once  defined  oratory  as,  *^The  art  of  influenc- 
ing conduct  with  truth  sent  home  by  all  the  resources  of  a 
living  man."  Certainly  gesture  is  one  of  man's  most  potent 
resources  in  public  address,  and  because  it  is  so,  more  at- 
tention should  be  given  to  its  cultivation.  The  greatest 
hindrance  to  adequate  expression  by  gesture,  is  self-con- 
sciousness. Some  people  who  gesture  easily  and  naturally 
in  conversation,  become  like  statues,  or  else  are  the  personi- 
fication of  awkwardness  before  an  audience.  The  only  way 
to  make  the  body  a  truly  expressive  agent,  and  overcome 
self-consciousness,  is  to  free  the  muscles  by  appropriate 
exercises,  gain  abandon  by  means  of  pantomimes,  imita- 
tions and  scenes,  practice  before  imaginary  audiences  and  ap- 
pear before  real  audiences  whenever  there  is  an  opportunity. 

Note.  The  classification  of  gestures  presented  in  this  chapter  is  used 
by  special  permission  of  Mrs.  Emily  M.  Bishop  who  has  discussed  the 
subject  so  well  in  her  treatise  entitled,  ''Interpretative  Forms  of  Lit* 
erature." 


PREPARATION  OF  ORAL  ENGLISH  ASSIGNMENTS 
HOW  TO  PREPARE  A  READING  LESSON 

1.  Read  the  selection  through  to  get  an  impression  of  it 
as  a  whole. 

2.  Read  the  selection  deliberately,  looking  up  the  meaning 
and  pronunciation  of  unfamiliar  words,  and  digging  out  the 
thought  of  difficult  passages. 

3.  Decide  for  yourself  what  the  author  had  in  mind  as  the 
central  idea  or  purpose  of  the  selection.  For  instance,  in 
Clark  Howeirs  speech,  ^^The  Man  With  His  Hat  in  His 
Hand,"  the  central  idea  may  be  worded:  The  man  with  his 
hat  in  his  hand  is  a  type  of  American  patriotism. 

4.  If  possible,  learn  whether  there  are  incidents  in  his- 
tory or  in  the  author's  life  that  aid  in  understanding  the 
selection. 

5.  Imagine  the  situations  depicted,  as  if  you  were  to  draw 
some  illustrations  for  the  selection. 

6.  Read  all  or  at  least  parts  of  the  selection  aloud  to 
ascertain  if  your  own  voice  reveals  what  you  see  in  the 
selection. 

7.  If  the  piece  contains  dialogue,  imagine  how  real  people 
would  say  the  lines;  if  it  contains  fine  description  or  argu- 
ment, imagine  how  a  good  speaker  would  deliver  those 
passages. 

8.  Practice  reading  parts  of  the  selection  in  different  ways, 
until  you  attain  a  manner  of  delivery  which  your  ear  ap- 
proves as  true  to  the  purpose  of  the  selection. 

148 


PREPARATION  OF  ASSIGNMENTS  149 

HOW  TO  PREPARE  A  SELECTION  FOR  PUBLIC 
PRESENTATION 

1.  Choosing  a  selection 

Select  from  a  good  author  something  that  you  consider  suited 
to  your  ability,  your  purpose,  your  prospective  audience,  and  the 
occasion. 

II.  Studying  the  selection 

L  Read  the  selection  carefully. 

2.  If  you  are  in  doubt  about  the  meaning  and  pronunciation  of 
any  words  in  the  selection,  consult  a  dictionary. 

3.  If  the  selection  is  an  excerpt,  read  the  entire  poem  or  book  to 
become  familiar  with  the  setting. 

4.  Read  any  review,  criticism  or  other  work  that  may  broaden 
your  conception  of  the  selection. 

5.  Formulate  your  opinion  of  the  author's  purpose,  and  write  a 
statement  of  it  in  a  single  sentence. 

6.  Consider  carefully  to  what  form  of  literature  the  selection 
belongs,  whether  drama,  essay,  monologue,  etc.,  and  determine 
what  latitude  or  restriction  its  form  entails  upon  your  delivery  of  it. 

7.  Imagine  the  situations,  until  the  selection  is  made  more  real 
by  your  mental  pictures. 

III.  Memorizing  the  selection 

1.  The  first  steps  toward  memorizing  the  selection  have  been 
taken  while  studying  it. 

2.  Read  the  whole  selection  aloud  several  times. 

3.  Think  the  selection  through,  grouping  the  minor  incidents 
about  the  principal  ones. 

4.  Recall  as  best  you  can,  the  words  of  the  most  important  pas- 


5.  If  you  are  to  give  the  selection  without  the  book,  memorize 
it  verbatim  by  reading  a  passage  and  then  testing  your  memory  of 
that  passage.  When  the  various  passages  are  learned,  test  your 
memory  of  the  entire  selection. 

IV.  Rehearsing  the  selection 

1.  Make  your  studying  and  memorizing  of  the  selection  contrib- 
ute to  the  appropriate  delivery  of  it. 

2.  Listen  to  your  own  vocal  effects  and  work  toward  your  ideal 
of  how  the  selection  sbould  sound. 


150  ORAL  ENGLISH 

3.  By  concentrating  on  the  selection,  and  responding  freely  to 
your  thought  and  emotions,  gain  some  physical  as  well  as  vocal 
expression  in  your  delivery. 

4.  Practice  before  a  mirror  that  your  eye  may  judge  of  your 
bearing  and  physical  response. 

5.  Ask  some  competent  friend  or  a  coach  to  criticise  your  work. 


I. 


HOW  TO   PREPARE  AN  ORIGINAL  SPEECH 
Choose  a  suitable  topic  by  considering  your : 


1.  purpose 

2.  prospective  audience 

3.  occasion 

II.  Gather  material  by  making  notes  from: 

1.  reading 

2.  conversing  with  well-informed  people 

3.  carefully  reflecting  upon  the  topic 

III.  Plan  an  outline  including : 

1.  an  introduction  to 

a.  overcome  prejudice,  if  there  is  any,  of  the  audience 

b.  state  the  purpose  of  the  speech,  or 

c.  arouse  the  good  will  of  the  audience  toward  the  speaker 
and  their  interest  in  his  topic 

2.  the  body  of  the  speech  to 

a.  discuss  the  points  essential  for  developing  the  topic 

b.  present  points  in  a  systematic  order 

c.  emphasize  points  by  forceful  illustrations 

d.  adapt  the  discussion  of  points  to  the  prospective  audience 

3.  a  conclusion  which  may 

a.  dispose  of  objections 

b.  summarize  points  discussed 

c.  emphasize  the  central  idea,  or 

d.  take  the  form  of  an  exhortation 

IV.  Write  out,  or  think  out,  the  speech. 

Some  insist  that  they  cannot  do  their  best  by  writing  out  a  speech. 
If  you  are  positive  that  you  are  more  successful  without  the  writing 


PREPARATION  OF  ASSIGNMENTS  151 

than  with  it,  that,  of  course,  is  the  best  method  for  you.  But  for 
most  people,  and  especially  the  inexperienced,  writing  out  the 
speech  insures  the  best  results. 

V.  Correct  the  speech  by  applying  the  following  tests : 

1.  Is  it  adapted  to  the  audience? 

2.  Is  it  suited  to  the  occasion? 

3.  Is  it  likely  to  be  tedious  in  length  or  matter? 

4.  Is  it  expressed  in  good  English? 

5.  Is  it  clear? 

6.  Is  it  forceful? 

7.  Does  it  sound  well  when  read? 

VI.  Rewrite  the  speech,  if  necessary. 

VII.  Rehearse  the  speech. 

To  read  a  speech  from  the  manuscript  is  likely  to  make  a  poor 
impression  upon  an  audience,  while  to  memorize  it  word  for  word 
is  a  laborious  task,  and  may  result  in  an  awkward  pause  if  there  is 
a  lapse  of  memory.  In  spite  of  these  limitations,  some  well  known 
speakers  use  one  or  the  other  of  these  two  methods  successfully. 
It  is  generally  conceded,  however,  that  speaking  from  a  written  or 
mental  brief  is  much  the  best  method  to  follow,  for  it  makes  the 
speaker  more  self-reliant  and  gives  him  confidence  in  his  abihty 
to  think  before  an  audience. 

1.  Prepare  a  brief  of  the  speech. 

2.  Read  the  manuscript  of  the  entire  speech  aloud  several  times. 

3.  With  brief  in  hand,  practice  aloud  until  you  can  say  approxi- 
mately what  you  have  written  in  the  manuscript. 

4.  Practice  for  the  best  effect  in  delivery,  allowing  your  own  ear 
to  be  your  critic. 

5.  Practice  before  a  mirror  that  you  may  criticise  your  own 
bearing  and  gesture. 

6.  Obtain  the  assistance  of  some  competent  critic  or  a  coach. 

HOW  TO  PREPARE  A  DEBATE 

Debating  is  such  a  helpful  and  interesting  means  of  at- 
taining better  thinking,  better  composition  and  better  spoken 
English,  that  a  few  hints  regarding  the  preparation  of  debates 
will  contribute  to  the  purpose  of  this  volume.    Before  advis- 


152  ORAL  ENGLISH 

ing  how  to  prepare  a  debate,  there  are  certain  terms  used  in 
debating  which  need  to  be  defined. 

Stating  the  Question  is  wording  the  topic  for  debate.  The 
favorite  form  is  that  of  a  resolution,  e.  g.  Resolved:  That 
territorial  expansion  is  detrimental  to  the  United  States. 
The  question  should  always  be  stated  by  the  first  speaker 
in  a  debate. 

Clearing  Ground  is  explaining  the  meaning  and  extent  of 
the  grounds  for  discussion,  and  showing  that  the  discussion 
of  other  phases  of  the  topic  would  be  irrelevant  to  the  ques- 
tion.   The  first  speaker  should  clear  the  ground. 

Shifting  Ground  is  to  change  one's  attitude  toward  the 
question — to  take  up  a  line  of  argument  inconsistent  with 
one's  former  argument,  the  argument  of  one's  colleague,  or 
with  the  interpretation  of  the  question  accepted  by  the  rival 
teams  prior  to  the  actual  debate. 

Begging  the  Question  is  accepting  some  premise  as  though 
it  had  been  proved  to  be  true,  when  no  proof  has  been  pre- 
sented to  establish  it. 

Burden  of  Proof  refers  to  the  principle  that  he  who  makes 
an  assertion  must  prove  it.  The  burden  of  proof,  therefore, 
is  generally  incumbent  upon  the  affirmative  speakers.  They 
must  select  the  particular  evidence  that  will  establish  the 
truth  of  their  assertions  and  make  that  their  argument. 

A  Premise  is  a  proposition,  the  truth  of  which  being  es- 
tablished, leads  to  some  other  truth  as  a  conclusion. 

A  Syllogism  is  a  logical  form  of  argument  consisting  of 
two  premises  and  a  conclusion,  e.  g.  The  property  of  the 
city  should  be  protected  from  vandals.  Flowers  and  shrubs 
in  our  parks  are  city  property.  Therefore,  the  flowers 
and  shrubs  in  our  parks  should  be  protected  from 
vandals. 


PREPARATION  OF  ASSIGNMENTS  153 

Kinds  of  Positive  Argument 

1.  From  Authority:  the  citation  of  expert  evidence  from 
specialists  whose  opinions  are  likely  to  be  accepted. 

For  example: 

Some  of  the  simpler  forms  recommended  by  the  Simplified  Spell- 
ing Board  merit  adoption.  More  than  one  half  are  preferred  by 
Webster's  dictionary,  more  than  six  tenths  by  the  Century  dic- 
tionary, and  two  thirds  by  the  Standard  dictionary.  Nearly  all 
the  rest  are  allowed  by  all  these  dictionaries  as  alternative  spellings 
in  good  usage. 

2.  Antecedent  Probability:  (a  priori)  suggesting  a  prob- 
able cause  which  led  to  known  conditions  as  a  result. 

For  example: 

A  man  commits  suicide,  his  books  show  a  marked  decrease  in 
business,  therefore,  business  depression  drove  him  to  his  rash  act. 

A  cyclone  overwhelms  a  western  town,  only  one  house  remains 
standing,  therefore,  it  was  better  built  than  any  other  in  town. 

3.  Real  Evidence:  (a  posteriori)  examples  of  things  ac- 
tually seen  or  done  which  appear  to  be  the  results  of  existing 
conditions  operating  as  causes. 

For  example:  , 

A  man  ill  with  indigestion  takes  a  certain  remedy,  he  then  re- 
covers, therefore,  the  remedy  is  a  good  one. 

Under  municipal  control  of  street  railways,  the  city  of  Cleveland 
is  able  to  reduce  the  fare  on  street  railways  from  five  to  three  cents, 
therefore,  municipal  control  of  street  railways  should  be  adopted  in 
other  cities. 

4.  Pure  Reason :  process  of  reasoning  from  facts  that  are 
self  evident  or  truths  that  seem  proved,  as  premises,  to  cer- 
tain inferences,  as  logical  conclusions. 

For  example: 

The  Gold  Standard  means  dearer  money;  dearer  money  means 
cheaper  property;  cheaper  property  means  harder  times;  harder 


154  ORAL  ENGLISH 

times  means  more  people  out  of  work;  more  people  out  of  work 
means  more  people  destitute;  more  people  destitute  means  more 
people  desperate;  more  people  desperate  means  more  crime. 

William  J.  Bryan. 


Refutation  of  the  Four  Kinds  of  Argument 

1.  When  your  opponents  quote  from  authorities,  question 
the  ability  or  impartiality  of  those  authorities.  If  possible, 
show  that  the  opinion  of  the  authority  mentioned  would  be 
much  respected  in  another  field,  but  that  it  has  little  weight 
in  reference  to  the  subject  under  discussion.  If  they  give 
exact  quotations  from  some  authority,  endeavor  to  show  that 
the  quotation  out  of  its  context,  does  not  represent  the  au- 
thority fairly. 

2.  If  your  opponents  use  arguments  of  antecedent  proba- 
bility, emphasize  the  fact  that  their  points  are  mere  theory, 
and  proceed  to  show  how  weak  and  incomplete  they  are. 
Suggest  that  some  other  cause  might  have  produced  the  ef-- 
fect,  or  helped  to  produce  it. 

3.  Should  your  opponents  resort  to  illustrations  as  real 
evidence,  endeavor  to  prove  that  there  is  not  necessarily 
a  cause  and  effect  relationship,  and  that  the  circumstances 
they  mention  might  have  come  about  without  the  condi- 
tions which  they  assume  to  be  causes. 

4.  In  case  your  opponents  employ  arguments  of  pure 
reason,  question  the  premises. 


Actual  Preparation  of  a  Debate 
I.  Choosing  a  question. 

1.  Choose  a  question  that  has  some  vital  interest. 

2.  Choose  a  question  that  admits  of  fair  arguments  on  both  sides. 


PREPARATION  OF  ASSIGNMENTS  155 

II.  Gather  materials  by  making  notes  from: 

1.  reading 

2.  conversing  with  well-informed  people 

3.  carefully  reflecting  upon  the  topic  .   v 

III.  Make  a  brief  of  your  debate  including : 

1.  an  introduction  to 

a.  state  the  question 

b.  define  the  question 

c.  clear  the  ground 

d.  indicate  what  constitutes  the  burden  of  proof 

e.  arouse  the  good  will  of  the  audience  toward  the  speaker 
and  their  interest  in  the  question 

2.  the  discussion  to 

a.  present  three  or  four  main  points 

b.  embody  each  point  in  the  kind  of  argument  best  suited  to  ifc 

c.  estabhsh  the  truth  of  points  by  adequate  proof 

d.  relate  each  point  to  the  main  issue 

e.  anticipate  your  opponents^  arguments  by  deciding  what 
kinds  of  refutation  will  be  required 

f .  deal  with  the  points  in  the  order  of  sequence  and  climax 

3.  a  conclusion  to 

a.  refute  points  of  opponents 

b.  summarize  the  points  discussed 

c.  unify  the  whole  discussion 

IV.  Write  out  or  think  out  the  debate. 

See  note  on  writing  out  speeches,  under  the  preparation  of  an 
original  speech. 

V.  Correct  the  debate  by  applying  the  following  tests : 

1.  Is  it  clear? 

2.  Is  it  logical? 

3.  Is  it  well  organized? 

4.  Is  it  expressed  in  good  EngHsh? 

5.  Is  it  exaggerated? 

6.  Is  it  fair  both  to  your  opponents  and  to  yourself? 

7.  Does  any  part  of  it  beg  the  question? 

8.  Is  it  tedious  in  length  or  matter? 

9.  Does  it  sound  well  when  read? 


156  ORAL  ENGLISH 

VI.  Rewrite  the  debate  if  necessary. 

VII.  Rehearse  the  debate. 

1.  Prepare  notes  from  which  to  speak. 

2.  Read  the  manuscript  of  the  entire  speech  aloud  several  times. 

3.  With  notes  in  hand,  practice  aloud  until  you  can  say  approxi- 
mately what  you  have  written  in  the  manuscript. 

4.  Practice  for  the  best  effect  in  delivery,  allowing  your  own  ear 
to  be  your  critic. 

5.  Practice  before  a  mirror  that  you  may  criticise  your  own  bear- 
ing and  gesture. 

6.  Obtain  the  assistance  of  some  competent  critic  or  coach. 

Cautions  for  Debaters 

To  conform  with  parliamentary  usage,  do  not  refer  to  the 
participants  in  the  debate  by  their  names,  but  say,  my 
opponent,  my  colleague,  the  first  speaker  on  the  affirmative, 
etc. 

Avoid  extreme  sarcasm,  wit,  smartness  and  flippancy  in 
debate.  They  are  not  argument  and  will  prejudice  the  judges 
and  audience  against  you. 

Use  an  understatement  rather  than  an  exaggeration,  it 
makes  your  argument  seem  more  fair. 


PART  II 
SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE 


VITALITY  IN  DELIVERY 

Well  directed  efforts  to  read  expressively  should  accom- 
pany the  mastering  of  the  mechanics  of  speech  and  the  cul- 
tivating of  the  voice.  The  first  step  towards  expressive  de- 
livery is  learning  to  put  life  and  vigor  into  one^s  reading. 
Let  your  hearers  know  by  the  tones  of  your  voice  that  you 
have  a  whole-hearted  interest  in  the  selection  you  are  read- 
ing, and  that  you  are  eager  to  share  with  them  what  you 
enjoy.  Strive  especially  to  attain  this  element  of  expres- 
sion in  reading  the  following  selections. 


THE  BREAKING  OF  POMMERS  * 

Abridged  from  Sir  Nigel.    By  A.  Conan  Doyle 

The  monks  of  Waverley  Abbey  distrained  a  splendid  Arabian  horse  from 
Franklin  Aylward  in  discharge  of  a  debt.  The  horse  was  turned  loose  in  the 
meadow  of  the  cloister  where  his  wild  behavior  terrified  all  the  good  brothers. 
A  group  of  the  monks  climbed  the  wall  of  the  meadow,  the  better  to  see 
some  of  their  servants  try  to  bridle  the  animal. 

Fetlock  deep  in  the  lush  grass  there  stood  the  magnificent  horse,  such 
a  horse  as  a  sculptor  or  a  soldier  might  thrill  to  see.  His  color  was  a 
light  chestnut,  with  mane  and  tail  of  a  more  tawny  tint.  Seventeen 
hands  high,  with  a  barrel  and  haunches  which  bespoke  tremendous 
strength,  he  jBned  down  to  the  most  delicate  lines  of  breed  in  neck  and 
crest  and  shoulder.  He  was  indeed  a  glorious  sight  as  he  stood  there, 
his  head  craned  high,  and  his  flashing  eyes  turning  from  side  to  side 
in  haughty  menace  and  defiance. 

Scattered  round  in  a  respectful  circle,  six  of  the  Abbey  servants  and 
foresters,  each  holding  a  halter,  were  creeping  toward  him.  The  horse, 
having  chased  one  of  his  enemies  to  the  wall,  remained  so  long  snorting 
his  contempt  over  the  coping  that  the  others  were  able  to  creep  up  from 
behind.  Several  ropes  were  flung,  and  one  noose  settled  over  the  proud 
crest.  In  an  instant  the  creature  had  turned  and  the  men  were  flying 
for  their  lives;  but  he  who  had  cast  the  rope  lingered.  The  man  saw 
the  great  creature  rise  above  him.  Then  with  a  crash  the  fore  feet  fell 
upon  him  and  dashed  him  to  the  ground. 

On  the  road  which  led  to  the  old  manor-house  a  youth  had  been 
riding.  His  mount  was  a  sorry  one,  and  his  patched  tunic  presented  no 
very  smart  appearance.  Cracking  his  whip  joyously,  he  cantered 
down  the  Tilford  Lane,  and  thence  observed  the  comedy  in  the  field 
and  the  impotent  efforts  of  the  servants  of  Waverley. 

Suddenly,  however,  as  the  comedy  turned  swiftly  to  black  tragedy, 

^  Reprinted  by  permission  of  the  author. 
159 


160  ORAL  ENGLISH 

this  passive  spectator  leaped  off  his  pony,  over  the  stone  wall  and  flew 
across  the  field.  Looking  up  from  his  victim,  the  great  yellow  horse 
saw  his  other  enemy  approach,  and  dashed  at  the  newcomer.  The 
little  man  flung  up  his  metal-headed  whip,  and  met  the  horse  with 
a  crashing  blow  upon  the  head,  repeated  again  with  every  attack.  The 
horse  drew  off,  glared  with  wonder  at  this  masterful  man,  and  then 
trotted  round  in  a  circle,  snorting  in  rage  and  pain.  The  man  passed 
on  to  the  wounded  forester,  raised  him  in  his  arms,  and  carried  him 
to  the  wall,  where  a  dozen  hands  were  outstretched  to  help  him  over. 
Then  the  young  man  also  climbed  the  wall,  smiling  back  with  cool 
contempt  at  the  yellow  horse. 

As  he  sprang  down,  a  dozen  monks  surrounded  him  to  thank  or 
to  praise  him. 

"Bear  the  wounded  forester  to  the  hospital,"  commanded  the  Father 
Abbot.  "And  now  about  this  terrible  beast  who  still  gazes  and  snorts 
at  us,  what  shall  we  do  with  him?" 

"Here  is  Franklin  Aylward,"  said  one  of  the  brethren.  "The  horse 
was  his,  and  doubtless  he  will  take  it  back  to  his  farm." 

But  the  red-faced  farmer  shook  his  head  at  the  proposal.  "Not  I, 
in  faith!"  said  he.  "The  beast  hath  chased  me  twice  around  the  pad- 
dock; it  has  nigh  slain  my  boy  Samkin.  He  comes  no  more  to  Crooks- 
bury  farm." 

"And  he  stays  no  more  here,"  said  the  Abbot.  "Brother  sacrist, 
you  have  raised  the  Devil,  and  it  is  for  you  to  lay  it  again." 

"That  I  will  most  readily,"  cried  the  sacrist.  "Here  is  Wat  with 
his  arbalist  and  a  bolt  in  his  girdle.  Let  him  drive  it  to  the  head  through 
this  cursed  creature,  for  his  hide  and  his  hoofs  are  of  more  value  than 
his  wicked  self." 

A  brown  old  woodman  stepped  forward  with  a  grin  of  pleasure. 
Fitting  a  bolt  on  the  nut  of  his  taut  crossbow,  he  leveled  it  at  the  fierce, 
disheveled  head.  His  finger  was  crooked  on  the  spring,  when  a  blow 
from  a  whip  struck  the  bow  upward  and  the  bolt  flew  harmless  over 
.the  Abbey  orchard,  while  the  woodman  shrank  abashed  from  Nigel 
Loring's  eyes. 

"Keep  your  bolts  for  your  weasels!"  said  he.  "Would  you  slay  such 
a  horse  as  a  king  might  be  proud  to  mount,  and  all  because  a  country 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  161 

franklin,  or  a  monk,  or  a  monk's  varlet,  has  not  the  wit  nor  the  hands 
to  master  him?" 

The  sacrist  turned  swiftly  on  the  Squire.  "The  Abbey  owes  you  an 
offering  for  this  day's  work.  If  you  think  so  much  of  the  horse,  you 
may  desire  to  own  it.  With  the  holy  Abbot's  permission  it  is  in  my 
gift  and  I  bestow  it  freely  upon  you." 

"I  take  your  gift,  monk,"  said  Nigel,  "though  I  know  well  why  it 
is  you  give  it.  Yet  I  thank  you,  for  I  have  ever  yearned  for  a  noble 
horse.    How  is  the  horse  called? " 

"Its  name,"  said  the  franklin,  "is  Pommers.  I  warn  you  that  none 
may  ride  him,  for  many  have  tried,  and  the  luckiest  is  he  who  has  only 
a  staved  rib  to  show  for  it." 

"I  thank  you  for  your  rede,"  said  Nigel,  "and  now  I  see  that  this 
is  indeed  a  horse  which  I  would  journey  far  to  meet.  I  am  your  man 
Pommers,  and  you  are  my  horse,  and  this  night  you  shall  own  it  or  I 
will  never  need  horse  again." 

While  he  spoke  the  young  Squire  had  climbed  on  to  the  top  of  the 
wall,  his  bridle  hanging  from  one  hand  and  his  whip  grasped  in  the 
other.  With  a  fierce  snort,  the  horse  made  for  him  instantly;  but  again 
a  heavy  blow  from  the  whip  caused  him  to  swerve,  and  even  at  the  in- 
stant of  the  swerve,  Nigel  bounded  into  the  air  and  fell  with  his  legs 
astride  the  horse.  For  a  minute,  with  neither  saddle  nor  stirrups,  and 
the  beast  ramping  and  rearing,  he  was  hard  pressed  to  hold  his  own. 
His  legs  were  like  two  bands  of  steel  welded  on  to  the  arches  of  the 
great  horse's  ribs,  and  his  left  hand  was  buried  deep  in  the  tawny 
mane. 

Pommers,  amazed  to  find  the  rider  still  upon  his  back,  swelled  into 
greater  fury.  In  his  untamed  heart  there  rose  the  furious  resolve  to 
dash  the  life  from  this  clinging  rider,  even  if  it  meant  destruction  to 
beast  and  man.  He  looked  round  for  death.  On  one  side  of  the  field 
was  a  building  presenting  a  flank  unbroken  by  door  or  window.  The 
horse  stretched  into  a  gallop,  and  headed  straight  for  that  craggy  wall. 
Would  Nigel  spring  off?  To  do  so  would  be  to  bend  his  will  to  that  of 
the  beast  beneath  him.  Cool  and  quick  the  man  slipped  his  short 
mantle  from  his  shoulders  and  lying  forward  along  the  creature's  back 
cast  the  cloth  over  the  horse's  eyes. 


162  ORAL  ENGLISH 

When  those  eyes  were  suddenly  shrouded  in  unexpected  darkness 
the  amazed  horse  came  to  a  dead  stop.  Its  purpose  all  blurred  in  its 
mind,  the  horse  wheeled  round,  tossing  its  head  until  the  mantle  slipped 
from  its  eyes.  But  what  was  this  new  outrage  which  had  been  inflicted 
upon  it?  What  was  this  defiling  bar  of  iron  which  was  locked  hard 
against  its  mouth?  What  were  these  straps  which  galled  the  tossing 
neck?  In  those  instants  of  stillness  ere  the  mantle  had  been  plucked 
away  Nigel  had  slipped  the  snaffle  between  the  champing  teeth,  and 
deftly  secured  it. 

Pommers'  heart  rose  high  and  menacing  at  the  touch.  He  loathed 
this  place,  the  people,  all  and  everything  which  threatened  his  freedom. 
Let  him  away  to  the  great  plains  where  freedom  is.  He  turned  with 
a  rush,  and  one  deer-like  bound  carried  him  over  the  four-foot  gate. 
They  were  in  the  water-meadow  now,  and  the  rippling  stream  twenty 
feet  wide  gleamed  in  front  of  them.  The  yellow  horse  gathered  his 
haunches  imder  him  and  flew  over  like  an  arrow.  Under  the  hanging 
branch  of  the  great  oak-tree  on  the  farther  side  the  great  horse  passed. 
He  had  hoped  to  sweep  off  his  rider,  but  Nigel  sank  low  with  his  face 
buried  in  the  flying  mane. 

Do  what  he  would,  the  man  clung  fast.  Over  Hankley  Down, 
through  Thursley  Marsh,  with  the  reeds  up  to  his  mud-splashed  withers, 
down  by  the  Nutcombe  Gorge,  slipping,  blundering,  bounding,  on  went 
the  horse.  No  marsh-land  could  clog  him,  no  hill  could  hold  him  back. 
Up  the  long  ascent  of  Fernhurst  he  thundered  as  on  the  level,  and  it 
was  not  imtil  he  had  flown  down  Henley  Hill,  and  the  castle  tower  of 
Midhurst  rose  over  the  coppice  in  front,  that  the  eager  outstretched 
neck  sank  a  Httle  on  the  breast,  and  the  breath  came  quick  and  fast. 
Look  where  he  would,  his  eyes  could  catch  no  sign  of  those  plains  of 
freedom  which  he  sought. 

And  yet  another  outrage!  It  was  bad  that  this  creature  should  still 
cling  so  tight  upon  his  neck,  but  now  he  would  even  go  to  the  intoler- 
able length  of  checking  him  and  guiding  him  on  the  way  that  he  would 
have  him  go.  There  was  a  sharp  pluck  at  his  mouth,  and  his  head  was 
turned  north  once  more.  As  well  go  that  way  as  another.  He  would 
soon  show  this  man  that  he  was  unconquered,  if  it  strained  his  sinews 
and  broke  his  heart  to  do  so.    Back  then  he  flew  up  the  long  ascent. 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  163 

Would  he  ever  get  to  the  end  of  it?  He  was  white  with  foam  and  caked 
with  mud.  His  eyes  were  gorged  with  blood,  his  mouth  open  and 
gasping.  On  he  flew  down  Sunda}^  Hill  until  he  reached  the  deep  Kings- 
ley  Marsh  at  the  bottom.  No,  it  was  too  much!  Flesh  and  blood 
could  go  no  farther.  As  he  struggled  out  from  the  reedy  slime,  he 
slowed  the  tumultuous  gallop  to  a  canter. 

Oh,  crowning  infamy!  Was  there  no  limit  to  these  degradations? 
He  was  no  longer  even  to  choose  his  own  pace.  Since  he  had  chosen  to 
gallop  so  far  at  his  own  will  he  must  now  gallop  farther  still  at  the  will 
of  another.  A  spur  struck  home  on  either  flank.  A  stinging  whip-lash 
fell  across  his  shoulder.  He  bounded  his  own  height  in  the  air  at  the 
pain  and  shame  of  it.  On  he  flew  and  on.  But  again  his  limbs  trembled 
beneath  him,  and  yet  again  he  strove  to  ease  his  pace,  only  to  be  driven 
onward  bj^  the  faUing  lash. 

He  saw  no  longer  where  he  placed  his  feet,  he  cared  no  longer  whither 
he  went,  but  his  one  mad  longing  was  to  get  away  from  this  torture 
which  clung  to  him  and  would  not  let  him  go.  He  had  won  his  way  to 
the  crest  of  Thursley  Down,  when  his  spirit  weakened,  his  giant  strength 
ebbed  out  of  him,  and  with  one  deep  sob  the  yellow  horse  sank  among 
the  heather.  So  sudden  was  the  fall  that  Nigel  flew  forward  over  his 
shoulder,  and  the  beast  and  man  lay  prostrate  and  gasping. 

The  young  Squire  was  the  first  to  recover,  and  kneeling  by  the  over- 
wrought horse  he  passed  his  hand  gently  down  the  foam-flecked  face. 
The  red  eye  rolled  up  at  him;  but  it  was  wonder  not  hatred,  a  prayer 
and  not  a  threat,  which  he  could  read  in  it.  As  he  stroked  the  reeking 
muzzle,  the  horse  whinnied  gently  and  thrust  his  nose  into  the  hollow 
of  his  hand.  It  was  enough.  It  was  the  end  of  the  contest,  the  accept- 
ance of  new  conditions  by  a  chivalrous  foe  from  a  chivalrous  victor. 

"You  are  my  horse,  Pommers,'^  whispered  Nigel,  and  he  laid  his 
cheek  against  the  craning  head.  "I  know  you,  Pommers,  and  you 
know  me,  and  with  the  help  of  Saint  Paul  we  shall  teach  some  other 
folks  to  know  us  both.  Now  let  us  walk  together  as  far  as  this  moorland 
pond,  for  indeed  I  wot  not  whether  it  is  you  or  I  who  need  the  water 
most." 


164  ORAL  ENGLISH 

THE  FINISH  OF  PATSY  BARNES  ^ 

Abridged  from  The  Strength  of  Gideon.    By  Paul,  Laurence  Dunbar 

His  name  was  Patsy  Barnes,  and  he  was  a  denizen  of  Little  Africa. 
By  all  the  laws  governing  the  relations  between  people  and  their  names, 
he  should  have  been  Irish — ^but  he  was  not.  He  was  colored,  and  very 
much  so. 

His  mother,  Eliza  Barnes,  had  found  her  way  to  Little  Africa  when 
she  had  come  North  from  Kentucky.  She  was  a  hard-working,  honest 
woman,  and  day  by  day  bent  over  her  tub,  scrubbing  away  to  keep 
Patsy  in  shoes  and  jackets,  that  would  wear  out  so  much  faster  than 
they  could  be  bought.  She  wanted  him  to  go  to  school.  She  had  the 
notion  that  he  might  become  something  better,  something  higher  than 
she  had  been. 

But  for  him  school  had  no  charms;  his  school  was  the  cool  stalls 
in  the  big  livery  stable  near  at  hand;  the  arena  of  his  pursuits  its  saw- 
dust floor;  the  height  of  his  ambition  to  be  a  horseman. 

A  man  goes  where  he  is  appreciated;  then  could  this  slim  black  boy 
be  blamed  for  doing  the  same  thing?  He  was  a  great  favorite  with  the 
horsemen,  and  picked  up  many  a  dime  or  nickel  for  dancing  and  singing, 
or  even  a  quarter  for  warming  up  a  horse  for  its  owner.  He  was  not  to 
be  blamed  for  this,  for,  first  of  all,  he  was  born  in  Kentucky,  and  had 
spent  the  very  days  of  his  infancy  about  the  paddocks  near  Lexington, 
where  his  father  had  sacrificed  his  life  on  account  of  his  love  for  horses. 
The  little  fellow  had  shed  no  tears  when  he  looked  at  his  father's  bleed- 
ing body,  bruised  and  broken  by  the  fiery  young  two-year-old  he  was 
trying  to  subdue.  Patsy  did  not  sob  or  whimper,  though  his  heart 
ached,  for  over  all  the  feeling  of  his  grief  was  a  mad,  burning  desire  to 
ride  that  horse. 

His  tears  were  shed,  however,  when,  actuated  by  the  idea  that  times 
would  be  easier  up  North,  they  moved  to  Dalesford.  Then,  when  he 
learned  that  he  must  leave  his  old  friends,  the  horses  and  their  masters, 
whom  he  had  known,  he  wept.    They  had  been  living  in  Dalesford  for 

^  Copyright,  1900,  by  Dodd,  Mead  &  Company,  and  reprinted  by  per- 
mission of  these  publishers. 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  165 

a  year  nearly,  when  hard  work  and  exposure  brought  the  woman  down 
to  bed  with  pneumonia.  They  were  very  poor— too  poor  even  to  call  in 
a  doctor,  so  there  was  nothing  to  do  but  to  call  in  the  city  physician. 
Now  this  medical  man  had  too  frequent  calls  to  Little  Africa,  and  he  did 
not  like  to  go  there.  So  he  was  very  gruff  when  any  of  its  denizens 
called  him,  and  it  was  even  said  that  he  was  careless  of  his  patients. 

Patsy's  heart  bled  as  he  heard  the  Doctor  talking  to  his  mother: 

^^Now,  there  can't  be  any  foolishness  about  this,"  he  said.  '*  You've 
got  to  stay  in  bed  and  not  get  yourself  damp." 

''How  long  you  think  I  got  to  lay  hyeah,  doctah?"  she  asked. 

"I'm  a  doctor,  and  not  a  fortune-teller,"  was  the  reply.  "You'll 
lie  there  as  long  as  the  disease  holds  you." 

"But  I  can't  lay  hyeah  long,  doctah,  case  I  ain't  got  nuffin'  to  go  on." 

"Well,  take  your  choice;  the  bed  or  the  boneyard." 

Eliza  began  to  cry. 

"You  needn't  sniffle,"  said  the  doctor;  "I  don't  see  what  you  people 
want  to  come  up  here  for  anyhow.  Why  don't  you  stay  down  South 
where  you  belong?" 

Patsy  was  angry.  His  eyes  were  full  of  tears  that  scorched  him  and 
would  not  fall.  The  memory  of  many  beautiful  and  appropriate  oaths 
came  to  him;  but  he  dared  not  let  his  mother  hear  him  swear.  Oh!  to 
have  a  stone — to  be  across  the  road  from  that  man! 

When  the  physician  walked  out.  Patsy  went  to  the  bed,  took  his 
mother's  hand,  and  bent  over  shamefacedly  to  kiss  her.  The  little 
mark  of  affection  comforted  EHza  unspeakably.  The  mother-feeUng 
overwhelmed  her  in  one  burst  of  tears.  Then  she  dried  her  eyes  and 
smiled  at  him. 

"Honey,"  she  said;  "mammy  ain'  gwine  lay  hyeah  long.  She  be  all 
right  putty  soon." 

"Nevah  you  min',"  said  Patsy  with  a  choke  in  his  voice.  "I  can  do 
somep'n,  an'  we'll  have  anothah  doctah." 

" La,  listen  at  de  chile;  what  kin  you  do?  " 

"I'm  goin'  down  to  McCarthy's  stable  and  see  if  I  kin  git  some 
horses  to  exercise." 

A  sad  look  came  into  Eliza's  eyes  as  she  said:  "You  bettah  not  go, 
Patsy;  dem  hosses'U  kill  you  yit,  des  lak  dey  did  yo'  pappy." 


166  ORAL  ENGLISH 

But  the  boy  was  obdurate,  and  even  while  she  was  talking,  put  oi? 
his  ragged  jacket  and  left  the  room. 

Patsy  did  get  horses  to  exercise,  and  it  was  with  a  king^s  pride  that 
he  brought  home  his  first  considerable  earnings.  They  were  small 
yet,  and  would  go  for  food  rather  than  a  doctor,  but  Eliza  was  inordi- 
nately proud,  and  it  was  this  pride  that  gave  her  strength  and  the  de- 
sire of  life  to  carry  her  through  the  days  approaching  the  crisis  of  her 
disease.  As  Patsy  saw  his  mother  growing  worse,  he  became  con- 
vinced that  the  doctor  was  not  helping  her.  She  must  have  another. 
But  the  money? 

That  afternoon,  after  his  work  with  McCarthy,  found  him  at  the 
Fair-grounds.  The  spring  races  were  on,  and  he  thought  he  might  get 
a  job  warming  up  the  horse  of  some  independent  jockey.  He  hung 
around  the  stables,  listening  to  the  talk  of  the  men  he  knew  and  some 
he  had  never  seen  before.  Among  the  latter  was  a  tall,  lanky  man, 
holding  forth  to  a  group  of  men. 

"No,  suh,"  he  was  saying  to  them  generally,  "I'm  goin'  to  withdraw 
Black  Boy,  because  thaih  ain't  nobody  to  ride  him  as  he  ought  to  be 
rode.  I  haven't  brought  a  jockey  along  with  me,  so  I've  got  to  depend 
on  pick-ups.    If  I  could  ride  myself  I'd  show  'emf" 

A  little  later  Patsy  was  gazing  into  the  stall  at  the  horse. 

"What  are  you  doing  thaih?"  called  the  owner  to  him. 

"Look  hyeah,  mistah,"  said  Patsy,  "ain't  that  a  bluegrass  hoss?" 

"Of  co'se  it  is,  an'  one  of  the  fastest  that  evah  grazed." 

"I'll  ride  that  hoss,  mistah." 

"What  do  you  know  'bout  ridin'?" 

"I  used  to  gin'ally  be'  roun'  Mistah  Boone's  paddock  in  Lexington,  an' — 

"Aroun'  Boone's  paddock — what!  Look  here,  little  nigger,  if  you 
can  ride  that  hoss  to  a  winnin'  I'll  give  you  more  money  than  you  ever 
seen  before." 

"I'll  ride  him." 

Patsy's  heart  was  beating  very  wildly  beneath  his  jacket.  That 
horse.  He  knew  that  glossy  coat.  He  knew  that  raw-boned  frame  and 
those  flashing  nostrils.  That  black  horse  there  owed  something  to  the 
orphan  he  had  made. 

Somehow  out  of  odds  and  ends,  his  owner  scraped  together  a  suit 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  167 

and  colors  for  Patsy.  The  colors  were  maroon  and  green,  a  curious 
combination.  But  then  it  was  a  curious  horse,  a  curious  rider,  and  a 
more  curious  combination  that  had  brought  them  together. 

Long  before  the  time  for  the  race  Patsy  went  into  the  stall  to  become 
better  acquainted  with  the  horse.  The  animal  turned  his  wild  eyes 
upon  him  and  neighed.  He  patted  the  long,  slender  head,  and  grinned 
as  the  horse  stepped  aside  as  gently  as  a  lady. 

''He  sholy  is  full  o'  ginger,"  he  said  to  the  owner,  whose  name  he 
had  found  to  be  Bracket t. 

''He'll  show  'em  a  thing  or  two,"  laughed  Brackett. 

When  the  bell  sounded  and  Patsy  went  out  to  warm  up,  he  felt  as  if 
he  were  riding  on  air.  Some  of  the  jockeys  laughed  at  his  get-up,  but 
there  was  something  in  him — or  under  him,  maybe — that  made  him 
scorn  their  derision.  He  saw  a  sea  of  faces  about  him,  then  he  saw  no 
more.  Only  a  shining  white  track  loomed  ahead  of  him,  and  a  restless 
steed  was  cantering  with  him  around  the  curve.  Then  the  bell  called 
him  back  to  the  stand. 

They  did  not  get  away  at  first,  and  back  they  trooped.  A  second 
trial  was  a  failure.  But  at  the  third  they  were  off  in  a  line  as  straight 
as  a  chalk  mark.  There  were  Essex  and  Firefly,  Queen  Bess  and  Mos- 
quito, galloping  away  side  by  side,  and  Black  Boy  a  neck  ahead.  Patsy 
knew  the  family  reputation  of  his  horse  for  endurance  as  well  as  fire, 
and  began  riding  the  race  from  the  first.  Black  Boy  came  of  blood 
that  would  not  be  passed,  and  to  this  his  rider  trusted.  At  the  eighth 
the  line  was  hardly  broken,  but  as  the  quarter  was  reached  Black  Boy 
forged  a  length  ahead,  and  Mosquito  was  at  his  flank.  Then,  like  a 
flash,  Essex  shot  out  ahead  under  whip  and  spur,  his  jockey  standing 
straight  in  the  stirrups. 

The  crowd  in  the  stand  screamed;  but  Patsy  smiled  as  he  lay  low 
over  his  horse's  neck.  He  knew  that  Essex  had  made  his  best  spurt. 
His  only  fear  was  for  Mosquito,  who  hugged  and  hugged  his  flank.  They 
were  nearing  the  three-quarter  post,  and  he  was  tightening  his  grip  on 
the  black.  Essex  fell  back;  his  spurt  was  over.  The  whip  fell  unheeded 
on  his  sides.    The  spurs  dug  him  in  vain. 

Black  Boy's  breath  touches  the  leader's  ear.  Thej''  are  neck  and 
neck — nose  to  nose.    The  black  stallion  passes  him. 


168  ORAL  ENGLISH 

Another  cheer  from  the  stand,  and  again  Patsy  smiles  as  they  turn 
into  the  stretch.  Mosquito  has  gained  a  head.  The  colored  boy 
flashes  one  glance  at  the  horse  and  rider  who  are  so  surely  gaining  upon 
him,  and  his  lips  close  in  a  grim  line.  They  are  half-way  down  the 
stretch,  and  Mosquitoes  head  is  at  the  stallion's  neck. 

For  a  single  moment  Patsy  thinks  of  the  sick  woman  at  home  and 
what  this  race  will  mean  to  her,  and  then  his  knees  close  against  the 
horse's  sides  with  a  firmer  dig.  The  spurs  shoot  deeper  into  the  steaming 
flanks.  Black  Boy  shall  win;  he  must  win.  The  horse  that  has  taken 
away  his  father  shall  give  him  back  his  mother.  The  stallion  leaps 
away  like  a  flash,  and  goes  under  the  wire — a  length  ahead. 

Then  the  band  thundered,  and  Patsy  was  off  his  horse,  very  warm 
and  very  happy,  following  his  mount  to  the  stable.  There,  a  little 
later,  Brackett  found  him.  He  rushed  to  him,  and  flung  his  arms 
around  him. 

"You  httle  imp,"  he  cried,  "you  rode  like  you  were  kin  to  that  hoss! 
We've  won!  We've  won!"  And  he  began  sticking  banknotes  at  the 
boy.  At  first  Patsy's  eyes  bulged,  and  then  he  seized  the  money  and 
got  into  his  clothes. 

"Goin'  out  to  spend  it?"    asked  Brackett. 

"I'm  goin'  for  a  doctah  fu'  my  mother,"  said  Patsy,  "she's  sick." 

"Don't  let  me  lose  sight  of  you." 

"Oh,  I'll  see  you  again.    So  long,"  said  the  boy. 

An  hour  later  he  walked  into  his  mother's  room  with  a  very  big 
doctor,  the  greatest  the  druggist  could  direct  him  to.  The  doctor  left 
his  medicines  and  his  orders,  but,  when  Patsy  told  his  story,  it  was 
Eliza's  pride  that  started  her  on  the  road  to  recovery.  Patsy  did  not 
tell  his  horse's  name. 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  169 

THE  STORY  OF  THE  BREEZE  * 

From  The  Jesters.    By  Miguel  Zamacois 

A  breeze  one  day,  abroad  on  fun  or  mischief  bent, 
Entered  a  castle  grim,  traversed  the  battlement, 
And  on  the  terrace  found,  sitting  and  spinning  there, 
A  maiden  of  sixteen,  blue  eyed,  with  golden  hair. 

Blue  were  her  eyes,  and  soft  as  the  young  sky  at  dawn. 
Or  the  waves  of  the  lake  the  breeze  had  crossed  that  morn, 
And  as  th'  intruder  loosed  a  strand  of  golden  hair 
The  maid  looked  up  and  laughed,  so  sweet,  so  chaste,  so  fair, 
That  the  breeze,  who  till  then  had  kissed  and  whirred  away 
Over  the  trees  and  far,  fickle  until  to-day, 
Knew  that  this  time  his  heart  was  bound  and  tethered  there 
To  that  child  of  sixteen,  blued-eyed,  with  golden  hair. 
For  the  fair  maid  had  won,  won  all  unconsciously, 
A  lover  without  a  name  and  whom  she  could  not  see. 
While  the  breeze  loved  to  love,  and  for  no  royal  throne 
Would  have  exchanged  his  right  to  love  her  thus  unknown. 

Then,  as  he  could  not  bring  her  flowers  all  abloom, 

The  butterflies  he'd  waft  in  shoals  into  her  room 

From  forest  glades  and  fields,  from  near  and  far,  and  they 

Blue,  yellow,  red,  and  green,  a  quivering  bouquet. 

He  blew  into  her  hair,  be  jeweled  it,  and  then, 

When  he  grew  jealous,  swiftly  blew  them  out  again. 

The  scent  of  new-mown  hay  he  brought  in  from  the  fields, 

From  ev'ry  bush  and  flower  what  each  of  sweetest  yields, 

Marjoram,  meadow-sweet,  and  sage  he  carried  there. 

For  the  maid  of  sixteen,  blue-eyed,  with  golden  hair. 

Sometimes  he'd  wander  off,  down  into  far  Provence, 
And  from  the  fairest  lands  of  the  fair  land  of  France 

^  Reprinted  by  permission  of  Brentano's. 


170  ORAL  ENGLISH 

He  would  come  laden  back  with  orange  blossoms'  breath, 
Which  he  had  stolen  e'er  men  crushed  the  blooms  to  death. 
For  all  that  ailed  the  maid  he  found  a  ready  cure; 
Were  the  day  stormy,  he  would  fetch  her  air  more  pure 
From  snowy  mountain-tops,  and  if  she  were  cold,  why, 
His  own  love  blew  so  warm  he  warmed  her  easily. 

When  she  was  reading  in  works  of  old  bard  or  sage. 
The  breeze  was  waiting  there  to  help  her  turn  the  page. 
And  when  at  night  she  slept  in  her  white-curtained  bed, 
He'd  venture  till  he  touched  his  darling's  golden  head. 
And,  drunken  with  the  joy  forbidden,  dare  to  sip 
A  kiss  that  maddened  him  from  the  child's  smiling  lip. 

One  day,  alas!  there  came  a  lord  of  Aquitaine 
To  woo  and  win  the  maid.    He  came  and  came  again, 
And  the  unhappy  breeze  howled  in  his  mad  despair. 
Gone  the  maid  of  sixteen,  blue-eyed,  with  golden  hair, 
Handsome  the  swain  and  rich,  strong  in  his  manhood's  spring, 
Blushes,  a  whispered  word,  the  chaplain,  and  a  ring. 
What,  when  a  wooer's  young,  rich,  and  has  all  to  please, 
What,  against  such  a  man,  can  the  most  perfumed  breeze? 

Off  went  the  breeze,  and  rushed  heartbroken,  desire-torn. 

Into  the  desert,  where,  anguished,  alone,  forlorn. 

He  gathered  strength  to  rush  back  with  unwonted  might. 

Battle  the  castle  walls,  howl,  the  unhappy  wight, 

As  though  his  storm-tossed  soul  could  in  the  noise  find  peace, 

Or,  with  a  whirl  of  rage,  could  his  poor  heart  release. 

And  when  the  sexton  old  rang  out  the  marriage  bell 

So  fiercely  blew  that  he  tolled  a  funeral  knell. 

So  that  no  flow'rs  should  deck  the  couple's  bridal  way, 

Every  rose-bush  he  swept  into  sad  disarray. 

Murdering  all  the  blooms  he  had  caressed  of  old, 

For  the  sixteen-year  bride,  blue-eyed,  with  hair  of  gold. 

Off  and  away  the  breeze,  sweeping  a  weary  world. 
Off  and  away  he  went,  misery  tossed  and  whirled, 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  171 

Came  back  in  two  years'  time,  back  to  the  castle  old, 

Where  dwelt  the  sweet  young  wife,  blue-eyed,  with  hair  of  gold; 

Back  to  the  castle  grim,  and  in  a  cradle  there 

Found  a  wee  baby  girl,  blue-eyed,  with  golden  hair. 

Gently  and  softly  blew,  turning  the  child's  toy  mill. 

Eager  to  win  a  smile  where  he  had  come  to  kill; 

Turning  the  tiny  mill  as  he  had  kissed  of  old 

The  mother's  sweet  blue  eyes  and  hair  of  burnished  gold, 

Then  sank  to  endless  rest  under  the  mother's  chair. 

To  dream  of  her  blue  eyes  and  of  her  golden  hair. 


ESCAPE  FROM  PRISON  ^ 

Abridged  from  Hugh  Wynne.    By  Dr.  S.  Weir  Mitchell 

Hugh  Wynne  is  the  son  of  an  austere  Quaker  residing  in  Philadelphia 
at  the  time  of  the  American  Revolution.  John  Wynne,  the  father,  is  a  Tory, 
but  Hugh  is  influenced  by  his  Aunt  Gainor  who  makes  a  rebel  and  a  patriot 
of  him.  Before  joining  the  army  Hugh  becomes  much  enamored  with  a 
capricious  young  lady  named  Darthea  Peniston.  Arthur  Wynne,  his  cousin, 
is  an  officer  in  the  British  army  and  his  hated  rival.  During  the  battle  of 
Germantown,  Hugh  is  seriously  wounded  and  taken  prisoner.  He  and  other 
disabled  prisoners  are  driven  to  Walnut  Street  Prison,  Philadelphia,  called 
by  the  English  the  Provost.  Of  his  experiences  there,  Hugh  Wynne  gives 
the  following  account. 

My  heart  fell  within  me  as  I  looked  up  at  the  gray  stone  walls  and 
grated  windows.  The  door  soon  closed  behind  a  hundred  of  us.  With 
fifteen  others,  I  was  shut  up  in  a  room  about  twenty-two  feet  square. 
I  was  carried  and  laid  down  by  two  soldiers  in  a  corner  of  the  bare  room. 
After  an  hour  had  gone  by,  I  called  a  fellow  prisoner,  a  Virginia  captain 
named  Richard  Delaney,  and  asked  him  to  lift  and  ease  my  hurt  leg. 
He  was  quick  to  help  and  tender.  In  a  few  minutes  we  came  to  know 
each  other,  and  thus  began  a  friendly  relation. 

A  surgeon  dressed  my  wounds  for  a  month,  and  then  I  saw  him  no 
more.  I  set  myself  to  seeing  how  I  could  keep  my  health.  I  talked 
with  my  unlucky  fellow  prisoners,  and  ate  the  vile  food  dealt  out  to  us, 

^  Reprinted  by  permission  of  The  Century  Company. 


172  ORAL  ENGLISH 

I  felt  sure  that  before  long  some  one  would  hear  of  me  and  bring  relief 
None  came.  The  scoundrel  in  charge  of  the  prison  was  a  Captain  Cun- 
ningham, a  great,  florid,  burly,  drunken  brute.  He  no  doubt  sold  our 
rations,  for  in  December  we  once  passed  three  days  on  rye  bread  and 
water,  and  one  day  we  had  no  food. 

But  for  the  Virginian,  Richard  Delaney,  I  should  not  be  alive  to-day. 
Death  was  busy  among  the  starving  men,  and  we  saw  every  day  hasty 
burials  in  the  potter's  field.  I  was  attacked  with  a  burning  fever.  For 
how  long  I  know  not  I  lay  on  the  floor  in  the  straw,  miserably  rolling 
from  side  to  side.  Then  I  lost  consciousness,  and  knew  no  more  for 
many  days.  When  I  came  to  a  knowledge  of  myself,  I  found  Delaney 
caring  for  me.  About  the  end  of  January,  Delaney,  seeing  me  better  and 
able  to  sit  up  a  Httle,  told  me  this  strange  story. 

While  I  was  ill  and  unconscious,  a  British  officer  had  come  to  inspect 
the  prison.  "He  came  over  and  stood  just  here,''  said  Delaney,  ''he 
looked  down  on  you  for  so  long  that  I  thought  he  must  be  sorry  for  us. 
He  asked  me  to  pull  the  blanket  from  your  face.  I  did  so,  as  he  seemed 
afraid  to  touch  it.  As  for  you,  you  were  saying  'Darthea'  over  and 
over;  but  who  is  Darthea,  the  Lord  knows.  After  standing  awhile,  the 
officer  said  in  a  queer  way  and  very  deliberately,  'it  was  a  pity,  but  it 
was  of  no  use;  you  would  die.'    I  told  him — " 

Breaking  in  on  Delaney,  I  said,  "Who  was  this  man?  What  did  he 
look  like?" 

"He  was  tall,  very  dark,  and  had  a  scar  over  the  left  eye." 

"Did  he  have  a  way  of  standing  with  half -shut  eyes,  and  his  mouth 
a  little  open?" 

"Certainly.    Why,  Wynne,  you  must  know  the  man." 

"I  do — I  do.    He  is  my  cousin." 

It  did  seem  to  me,  as  I  lay  still,  in  much  distress  of  body,  that  no  man 
could  be  so  cruel  as  Arthur  Wynne  had  shown  himself.  Time  had 
gone  by,  and  he  had  done  nothing.  Months  since  he  had  warned  me 
that  I  had  everything  to  dread  from  his  enmity,  if  I  persisted  in  writing 
to  Darthea.  Assuredly  he  had  been  as  good  as  his  word.  I  thought  how 
impossible  it  must  ever  be  to  hate  a  man  enough  to  do  as  Arthur  Wynne 
had  done.  I  kept  thinking  of  the  hour  when  my  cousin  and  I  should 
meet,  and  as  I  fed  this  animal  appetite  I  won  fresh  desire  to  live.    He 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  173 

must  have  learned  later  that  I  was  still  alive.  It  looked  worse  and 
worse  as  I  thought  about  it,  until  Delaney,  hearing  me  talk  of  nothing 
else,  told  me  I  would  go  mad  if  I  let  myself  dwell  longer  upon  it.  Thus 
wisely  counselled,  I  set  it  aside. 

By  the  beginning  of  February,  I  was  greatly  improved  and  fast  gain- 
ing strength.  One  day  I  awakened  with  a  fresh  and  happy  thought  in 
my  mind.  I  thought  I  suddenly  saw  a  way  to  let  the  sweet  outside 
world  know  I  was  alive.  At  first  I  used  to  think  of  a  chaplain  as  a 
resource,  but  I  never  saw  one.  Being  now  able  to  move  about  a  little, 
I  had  noticed  in  the  yard  a  fat  Romanist  priest,  who  was  allowed  to 
bring  soup  or  other  food  to  certain  prisoners.  I  soon  learned  that, 
because  Cunningham  was  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  those  who  were  of 
his  faith  were  favored.  Indeed,  now  and  then,  certain  gray-clad  sisters 
also  brought  supplies;  but  this  was  rare. 

That  day  in  the  yard  I  drew  near  to  the  priest,  but  saw  Cunningham 
looking  on,  and  so  I  waited  with  the  patience  of  a  prisoned  man. 

It  was  quite  two  weeks  before  my  chance  came.  Passing  near  to  a  stout 
old  Sister  of  Charity,  I  said  quietly: 

''I  have  friends  who  would  help  me.  For  God's  love,  see  my  aunt, 
Miss  Wynne  in  Arch  street,  across  from  the  Meeting.'' 

''I  will  do  your  errand,"  she  said. 

"Others  have  said  so,  sister,  and  have  lied  to  me." 

"I  will  do  it,"  she  said.    "And  if  she  is  away?" 

I  thought  of  my  father.  He  seemed  my  natural  resource,  but  my 
cousin  would  be  there.  Finally  I  said,  "  If  she  is  not  in  town,  then  Miss 
Darthea  Peniston,  near  by.  If  you  fail  me,  I  shall  curse  you  while  I 
live." 

"I  will  not  fail  you.  Why  should  you  poor  prisoners  be  so  ill  used? 
Trust  me." 

Two  days  later  a  turnkey  came  and  bade  me  follow  him.  I  went  with 
an  eager  heart.  As  I  questioned  the  man,  he  said  there  was  an  order  for 
a  lady  to  see  me.  Now  at  this  time  my  hair  was  a  foot  long,  and  no 
way  to  shear  it.  We  had  taken  the  blankets  of  the  dead,  and  made  us 
coats  by  tearing  holes  through  which  to  thrust  our  arms.  My  costume 
troubled  me  a  little.  As  he  opened  the  door,  I  saw  the  good  Sister  of 
Charity  in  the  hall,  and  then — who  but  Darthea? 


174  ORAL  ENGLISH 

Seeing  me  in  this  blue  blanket,  all  unshorn,  and  my  beard  covering 
my  face.  I  wonder  not  that  she  fell  back,  saying  there  was  some  mistake. 

I  cried  out,  ''Darthea!  Darthea!  Do  not  leave  me.  It  is  I!  It  is 
I,  Hugh  Wynne." 

"  My  God ! "  she  cried,  ''  It  is  Hugh !  It  is !  it  is ! ''  At  this  she  caught 
my  lean  yellow  hand,  and  went  on  to  say,  ''Why  were  we  never  told? 
Your  Aunt  Wynne  is  away.  Since  we  thought  you  dead,  she  has  ordered 
mourning  and  is  gone  to  her  farm.  But  you  are  not  dead,  thank  God! 
thank  God !  I  was  but  a  day  come  home  from  New  York,  when  this 
dear  old  sister  came  and  told  me.  Just  then  Arthur  came,  and  1  told 
him  of  your  misfortune.  He  was  greatly  shocked  to  hear  it.  He  re- 
minded me  that  some  while  before  he  had  told  me  that  he  had  seen  a 
man  who  looked  like  you  in  the  jail,  and  was  about  to  die.  I  never  saw 
him  so  troubled." 

"Well  he  might  be,"  thought  I.  1  merely  said,  "Indeed?"  But  1 
must  have  looked  my  doubt,  for  she  added  quickly: 

"Who  could  know  you,  Hugh  Wynne?" 

"Darthea,"  I  said,  "you  must  not  remain  in  this  awful  place.  God 
knows  how  welcome  you  are,  but — " 

"Oh,"  she  cried,  "I  told  Arthur  that  I  would  wait,  but  I  could  not, 
so  I  came  with  the  sister.  You  will  be  helped,  and  an  end  put  to  this 
wickedness.    Arthur  will  ask  for  a  parole  for  you." 

"Darthea,"  I  said  hoarsely,  "I  have  been  here  since  early  in  October. 
I  have  been  starved,  frozen,  maltreated  in  a  hundred  ways,  but  I  can 
never  take  a  parole.  I  will  take  my  chance  here."  I  think  death  had 
been  preferable  to  a  parole  obtained  for  me  by  Arthur  Wynne. 

Then  I  was  struck  with  a  thought  which  was  like  a  physical  pain. 
"O  Darthea!"  I  cried,  "you  should  never  have  come  here.  Go  at 
once.  Do  not  stay  a  minute.  This  is  a  house  poisoned.  Write  me  what 
else  is  to  say,  but  go;  and  let  me  have  some  plain  clothes  from  home,  and 
linen  and  a  razor  and  scissors  and,  above  all,  soap.    But  go!  go!" 

"I  will  go  when  I  have  done.  I  came,  because  I  am  your  friend,  and 
this  is  the  way  I  read  friendship.  Oh,  I  shall  hear  of  it  too.  But  let 
Arthur  Wynne  take  care.  I  will  write  to  you,  and  the  rest  you  shall 
have;  and  now  good-by." 

In  two  hours  came  a  note  with  news  of  the  war  and  from  home.    I 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  175 

learned  that  Washington  was  not  dead.  We  had  been  told  that  he  was. 
I  heard,  too,  of  Burgoyne's  surrender,  of  the  fall  of  the  forts  on  the 
Delaware,  of  Lord  Cornwallis  gone  to  England,  of  failures  to  effect 
exchanges. 

A  few  hours  later  came  the  turnkey.  He  fetched  a  portmantle  just 
come,  and  an  order  to  put  me  in  a  room  alone.  I  left  Delaney  with 
sorrow,  but  hoped  for  some  way  to  help  him.  In  an  hour  I  was  clean 
for  the  first  time  in  five  months,  neatly  shaven,  my  hair  somehow  cut, 
and  I  in  sweet  linen  and  a  good,  plain  gray  suit.  Then  I  sat  down  to 
think,  the  mere  hope  of  escape  making  me  weak. 

The  next  day  I  was  ordered  forth  with  a  few  others,  and,  luckilyj  late 
in  the  afternoon.  I  covered  my  fine  clothes  with  a  blanket,  and  went 
out.  In  the  yard,  I  saw  the  sister,  to  my  delight,  and  perceived  too, 
that  the  prisoners  did  not  recognize  me,  decently  shaven  as  I  was. 
Only  one  thing  held  me  back  or  made  me  doubt  that  I  was  close  to 
liberty;  I  was  so  feeble  that  at  times  I  staggered  in  walking.  I  knew, 
however,  that  when  my  new  clothes  became  familiar  in  the  jail  my 
chance  of  escape  would  be  over.  I  must  take  the  present  opportunity 
and  trust  to  luck. 

My  scheme  I  had  clearly  thought  out.  I  meant,  when  in  the  yard, 
to  drop  the  blanket  cover,  and  coolly  follow  the  sister,  trusting  to  my 
being  taken  in  my  new  garments,  for  a  visitor.  It  was  simple,  and  like 
enough  to  succeed  if  my  strength  held  out.  It  was  now  dusk.  A  bell 
was  rung,  this  being  the  signal  for  the  gang  of  prisoners  to  go  to  their 
rooms.  Falling  back  a  little,  I  cast  aside  the  blanket,  and  then  follow- 
ing the  rest,  was  at  once  in  the  hall,  dimly  lit  with  lanterns.  It  was  some 
eighty  feet  long.  Here  I  kept  behind  the  group,  and  went  boldly  after 
the  stout  sister.  No  one  seemed  disposed  to  suspect  the  well-dressed 
gentleman  in  gray.  I  went  by  the  turnkey,  keeping  my  face  the  other 
way.  I  was  now  some  fifteen  feet  from  the  great  barred  outer  door. 
The  two  sentries  stepped  back  to  let  the  sister  go  by. 

Meanwhile  the  gatekeeper,  with  his  back  to  me,  was  busy  with  his 
keys.  He  unlocked  the  door  and  pulled  it  open.  A  great  lantern  hung 
over  it.  1  was  aghast  to  see  the  wretch,  Cunningham,  just  about  to 
enter.  He  was  sure  to  detect  me.  I  hesitated,  but  the  lookout  into 
space  and  liberty  was  enough  for  me.    The  beast  fell  back  to  let  the 


176  ORAL  ENGLISH 

sister  pass  out.  I  dashed  by  the  guards,  upset  the  good  woman,  and, 
just  outside  the  doorway,  struck  Cunningham  in  the  face — a  blow  that 
had  in  it  all  the  gathered  hate  of  five  months  of  brutal  treatment.  He 
fell  back,  stumbling  on  the  broad  upper  step.  I  caught  him  a  second 
full  in  the  neck,  as  I  followed.  With  an  oath,  he  rolled  back  down  the 
high  steps,  as  I,  leaping  over  him,  ran  across  Walnut  street.  I  darted 
through  the  open  door  of  a  cobbler ^s  shop,  and  out  at  the  back  into  a 
small  yard,  and  over  palings  into  an  open  space.  Then  through  various 
streets,  and  soon  home,  friends  and  liberty  were  mine  again. 

THE  RACE  OF  LIFE^ 

From  The  Autocrat  of  the  Breakfast  Table.     By  Oliver  Wendell 

Holmes 

Nothing  strikes  one  more,  in  the  race  of  life,  than  to  see  how  many 
give  out  in  the  first  half  of  the  course.  ''Commencement  day"  always 
reminds  me  of  the  start  for  the  ''Derby,"  when  the  beautiful  high-bred 
three-year-olds  of  the  season  are  brought  up  for  trial.  That  day  is 
the  start,  and  life  is  the  race.  Here  we  are  at  Cambridge,  and  a  class 
is  just  ''graduating."  Poor  Harry!  he  was  to  have  been  there  toe,  but 
he  has  paid  forfeit;  step  out  here  into  the  grass  behind  the  church;  ah! 
there  it  is: — 

"hung  lapidem  posuerunt  socii  moerentes" 

But  this  is  the  start,  and  here  they  are, — coats  bright  as  «ilk,  and 
manes  as  smooth  as  eau  lustrale  can  make  them.  Some  of  the  best  of 
the  colts  are  pranced  around,  a  few  minutes  each,  to  show  their  paces. 
What  is  that  old  gentleman  crying  about?  And  the  old  lady  by  him, 
and  the  three  girls,  what  are  they  all  covering  their  eyes  for?  Oh,  that 
is  their  colt  which  has  just  been  trotted  up  on  the  stage.  Do  they  really 
think  those  little  thin  legs  can  do  anything  in  such  a  slashing  sweep- 
stakes as  is  coming  off  in  these  next  forty  years?  Oh,  this  terrible  gift 
of  second-sight  that  comes  to  some  of  us  when  we  begin  to  look  through 
the  silvered  rings  of  the  arcus  senilis! 

Ten  years  gone.    First  turn  in  the  race.    A  few  broken  down;  two  oi 

^  Reprinted  by  permission  of  Houghton  Mifflin  Company. 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  177 

three  bolted.  Several  show  in  advance  of  the  ruck.  Cassock^  sl  black 
colt,  seems  to  be  ahead  of  the  rest;  those  black  colts  commonly  get  the 
start,  I  have  noticed,  of  the  others,  in  the  first  quarter.  Meteor  has 
pulled  up. 

Twenty  years.  Second  corner  turned.  Cassock  has  dropped  from  the 
front,  and  Judex,  an  iron-gray,  has  the  lead.  But  look  how  they  have 
thinned  out!  Down  flat, — five, — six, — how  many?  They  lie  still 
enough!  they  will  not  get  up  again  in  this  race,  be  very  sure!  And  the 
rest  of  them,  what  a  ^'tailing  off!"  Anybody  can  see  who  is  going  to 
win, — ^perhaps. 

Thirty  years.  Third  corner  turned.  Dives,  bright  sorrel,  ridden  by  a 
fellow  in  a  yellow  jacket,  begins  to  make  play  fast;  is  getting  to  be 
the  favorite  with  many.  But  who  is  that  other  one  that  has  been  length- 
ening his  stride  from  the  first,  and  now  shows  close  up  to  the  front? 
Don't  you  remember  the  quiet  brown  colt  Asteroid,  with  the  star  in  his 
forehead?  That  is  he;  he  is  one  of  the  sort  that  lasts;  look  out  for  him! 
The  black  ^'colt"  as  we  used  to  call  him,  is  in  the  background,  taking  it 
easily  in  a  gentle  trot.  There  is  one  they  used  to  call  the  Filly,  on  ac- 
count of  a  certain  feminine  air  he  had;  well  up,  you  see;  the  Filly  is 
not  to  be  despised,  my  boy! 

Forty  years.    More  dropping  off, — but  places  much  as  before. 

Fifty  years.  Race  over.  All  that  are  on  the  course  are  coming  in  at 
a  walk;  no  more  running.  Who  is  ahead?  Ahead?  What!  and  the 
winning  post  a  slab  of  white  or  gray  stone  standing  out  from  that  turf 
where  there  is  no  more  jockeying  or  straining  for  victory!  Well,  the 
world  marks  their  places  in  its  betting  book;  but  be  sure  that  these 
matter  very  little,  if  they  have  run  as  well  as  they  knew  how! 

SONG  OF  THE  CHATTAHOOCHEE  ^ 

By  Sidney  Lanier 

Out  of  the  hills  of  Habersham, 

Down  the  valleys  of  Hall, 
I  hurry  amain  to  reach  the  plain. 
Run  the  rapid  and  leap  the  fall, 

*  Reprinted  by  special  arrangement  with  Charles  Scribner's  Sons. 


178  ORAL  ENGLISH 

Split  at  the  rock  and  together  again, 
Accept  my  bed,  or  narrow  or  wide, 
And  flee  from  folly  on  every  side 
With  a  lover's  pain  to  attain  the  plain 

Far  from  the  hills  of  Habersham, 

Far  from  the  valleys  of  Hall. 

All  down  the  hills  of  Habersham, 

All  through  the  valleys  of  Hall, 
The  rushes  cried  Abide,  abide, 
The  wilful  waterweeds  held  me  thrall. 
The  laving  laurel  turned  my  tide, 
The  ferns  and  the  fondling  grass  said  Stay^ 
The  dewberry  dipped  deep  to  work  delay, 
And  the  little  reeds  sighed  Abide,  abide, 

Here  in  the  hills  of  Habersham, 

Here  in  the  valleys  of  Hall. 

High  o'er  the  hills  of  Habersham, 

Veiling  the  valleys  of  Hall, 
The  hickory  told  me  manifold 
Fair  tales  of  shade,  the  poplar  tall 
Wrought  me  her  shadowy  self  to  hold. 
The  chestnut,  the  oak,  the  walnut,  the  pine, 
Overleaning,  with  flickering  meaning  and  sign, 
Said,  Pass  not,  so  cold,  these  manifold 

Deep  shades  of  the  hills  of  Habersham, 

These  glades  in  the  valleys  of  HalL 

And  oft  in  the  hills  of  Habersham, 

And  oft  in  the  valleys  of  Hall, 
The  white  quartz  shone,  and  the  smooth  brook-stone 
Did  bar  me  a  passage  with  friendly  brawl, 
And  many  a  luminous  jewel  lone 
— Crystals  clear  or  a-cloud  with  mist, 
Ruby,  garnet  and  amethyst — 
Made  lures  with  the  lights  of  streaming  stone 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  179 

In  the  clefts  of  the  hills  of  Habersham, 
In  the  beds  of  the  valleys  of  Hall. 

But  oh,  not  the  hills  of  Habersham, 

And  oh,  not  the  valleys  of  Hall 
Avail:  I  am  fain  now  to  water  the  plain. 
Downward  the  voices  of  Duty  call — • 
Downward,  to  toil  and  be  mixed  with  the  main. 
The  dry  fields  burn,  and  the  mills  are  to  turn. 
And  a  myriad  flowers  mortally  yearn. 
And  the  lordly  main  from  beyond  the  plain 

Calls  o'er  the  hills  of  Habersham, 

Calls  through  the  valleys  of  Hall. 

LOG  DRIVING  ^ 

Abridged  from  The  Blazed  Trail.    By  Stewart  Edward  White 

About  the  fifteenth  of  April  the  attention  of  the  lumber-jacks  be- 
came strained.  Every  day  the  mounting  sun  made  heavy  attacks  on 
the  snow.  The  river  began  to  show  more  air  holes,  occasional  open 
places.  About  the  centre  the  ice  looked  worn  and  soggy.  Some  one 
saw  a  flock  of  geese  high  in  air.    Then  came  rain. 

One  morning  early.  Long  Pine  Jim  came  into  the  men's  camp  bearing 
a  huge  chunk  of  tallow.  This  he  softened  at  the  hot  stove  and  began 
to  swab  liberal  quantities  of  it  on  his  spiked  river  shoes. 

'*  She's  comin',  boys,"  said  he. 

He  donned  a  pair  of  woolen  trousers  that  had  been  chopped  off  at 
the  knee,  thick  woolen  stockings,  and  the  river  shoes.  Then  he  walked 
over  to  the  corner  to  select  a  peavey  from  the  lot  the  blacksmith  had 
just  put  in  shape.  A  peavey  is  like  a  cant-hook  except  that  it  is  pointed 
at  the  end.    Thus  it  can  be  used  either  as  a  hook  or  a  pike. 

At  the  same  moment  Shearer,  a  foreman,  appeared  in  the  doorway. 
"Come  on,  boys,  she's  on!"  said  he  sharply.  "She'll  be  down  on  us 
before  we  know  it!" 

*  Copyright  1902  by  Doubleday  Page  and  Company,  and  reprinted  by 
special  arrangement  with  these  publishers. 


180  ORAL  ENGLISH 

The  opening  of  the  portal  admitted  a  roar  of  sound.  The  freshet 
was  abroad  forceful  with  the  strength  of  a  whole  winter's  accumulated 
energy.  The  men  heard  it  and  their  eyes  brightened  with  the  lust  of 
battle.     They  cheered. 

Already  the  ice  cementing  the  logs  together  had  begun  to  weaken. 
The  ice  had  wrenched  and  tugged  savagely  at  the  locked  timbers  until 
they  had,  with  a  mighty  effort,  snapped  asunder  the  bonds  of  their 
hibernation.  Now  a  narrow  lane  of  black  rushing  water  pierced  the 
roll  ways,  to  boil  and  eddy  in  the  consequent  jam  three  miles  below. 

At  the  bank  of  the  river,  Thorpe,  the  manager,  rapidly  issued  his 
directions.  The  affair  had  been  all  prearranged.  To  the  foremen  he 
assigned  their  tasks,  calling  them  to  him  one  by  one,  as  a  general  calls 
his  aids. 

"Moloney,"  said  he  to  a  big  Irishman,  "take  your  crew  and  break 
that  jam.  Then  scatter  your  men  down  to  within  a  mile  of  the  pond, 
and  see  that  the  river  runs  clear.  KerHe,  your  crew  can  break  rollways 
with  the  rest  until  we  get  the  river  fairly  filled,  and  then  you  can  move 
on  down-stream  as  fast  as  you  are  needed.  Scotty,  you  will  have  the 
rear." 

At  once  the  signal  was  given  to  Ellis,  the  dam  watcher.  Ellis  and 
his  assistants  thereupon  began  to  pry  with  long  iron  bars  at  the  ratchets 
of  the  heavy  gates.  The  chore-boy  bent  attentively  over  the  ratchet- 
pin,  lifting  it  delicately  to  permit  another  inch  of  raise,  dropping  it  ac- 
curately to  enable  the  men  at  the  bars  to  seize  a  fresh  purchase.  The 
river's  roar  deepened.  Through  the  wide  sluiceways  a  torrent  foamed 
and  tumbled.  Immediately  it  spread  through  the  brush  on  either  side 
to  the  limits  of  the  freshet  banks,  and  then  gathered  for  its  leap  against 
the  uneasy  rollways. 

Along  the  edge  of  the  dark  channel  the  face  of  the  logs  seemed  to 
crumble  away.  Farther  in  towards  the  banks  where  the  weight  of  the 
timber  still  outbalanced  the  weight  of  the  flood,  the  tiers  grumbled  and 
stirred,  restless  with  the  stream's  calling.  Far  down  the  river,  where 
Bryan  Moloney  and  his  crew  were  picking  at  the  jam,  the  water  in 
eager  streamlets  sought  the  interstices  between  the  logs,  gurgling  ex- 
citedly like  a  mountain  brook.  The  jam  creaked  and  groaned  in  re- 
sponse to  the  pressure.    From  its  face  a  hundred  jets  of  water  spurted 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  181 

into  the  lower  stream.  Logs  up-ended  here  and  there,  rising  slowly, 
like  so  many  arms  from  the  lower  depths. 

The  crew  worked  desperately.  Down  in  the  heap  somewhere,  two 
logs  were  crossed  in  such  a  manner  as  to  lock  the  whole.  They  sought 
those  logs.  Thirty  feet  above  the  bed  of  the  river  six  men  clamped 
their  peaveys  into  the  soft  pine;  jerking,  pulling,  sliding  the  great  logs 
from  their  places.  Thirty  feet  below,  under  the  threatening  face,  six 
other  men  coolly  picked  out  and  set  adrift,  one  by  one,  the  timbers 
not  inextricably  imbedded.  From  time  to  time  the  mass  creaked, 
settled,  perhaps  even  moved  a  foot  or  two;  but  always  the  practiced 
rivermen,  after  a  glance,  bent  more  eagerly  to  their  work. 

Outlined  against  the  sky,  big  Bryan  Moloney  stood  directing  his  work. 
He  knew  by  the  tenseness  of  the  log  he  stood  on  that,  behind  the  jam, 
power  had  gathered  sufficient  to  push  the  whole  tangle  down-stream. 
Now  he  was  offering  it  the  chance.  Suddenly  the  six  men  below  the 
jam  scattered.  Four  of  them,  holding  their  peaveys  across  their  bodies, 
jumped  lightly  from  one  floating  log  to  another  in  the  zigzag  to  shore. 
The  other  two  ran  the  length  of  their  footing,  and,  overleaping  an  open 
of  water,  landed  heavily  and  firmly  on  the  very  ends  of  two  small  float- 
ing logs.  In  this  manner  the  force  of  the  jump  rushed  the  little  timbers 
end-on  through  the  water.  The  two  men  were  thus  ferried  to  within 
leaping  distance  of  the  other  shore. 

In  the  meantime  a  barely  perceptible  motion  was  communicating 
itself  from  one  particle  to  another  through  the  centre  of  the  jam.  The 
crew  redoubled  its  exertions,  clamping  its  peaveys  here  and  there, 
apparently  at  random,  but  in  reality  with  the  most  definite  of  purposes. 
A  sharp  crack  exploded  immediately  underneath.  There  could  no 
longer  exist  any  doubt  as  to  the  motion,  although  it  was  as  yet  sluggish, 
glacial.  The  jam  crew  were  forced  continually  to  alter  their  positions, 
riding  the  changing  timbers  bent-kneed,  as  a  circus  rider  treads  his 
four  galloping  horses. 

Then  all  at  once  something  crashed.  The  entire  stream  became 
alive.  It  hissed  and  roared,  it  shrieked,  groaned  and  grumbled.  At 
first  slowly,  then  more  rapidly,  the  very  forefront  of  the  center  melted 
inward  and  forward  and  downward  until  it  caught  the  fierce  rush  of  the 
freshet  and  shot  out  from  under  the  jam.    Far  up-stream,  bristling  and 


182  ORAL  ENGLISH 

formidable,  the  tons  of  logs,  grinding  savagely  together,  swept  for- 
ward. 

The  six  men  and  Bryan  Moloney — who,  it  will  be  remembered,  were 
on  top  of  the  jam — worked  until  the  last  moment.  When  the  logs 
began  to  cave  under  them  so  rapidly  that  even  the  expert  rivermen 
found  difficulty  in  ''staying  on  top,^'  the  foreman  set  the  example  of 
hunting  safety. 

''She  pulls,  boys,"  he  yelled. 

Then  in  a  manner  wonderful  to  behold,  through  the  smother  of  foam 
and  spray,  the  drivers  zigzagged  calmly  and  surely  to  the  shore. 

All  but  Jimmy  Powers.  He  poised  tense  and  eager  on  the  crumbhng 
face  of  the  jam.  Almost  immediately  he  saw  what  he  wanted,  and  with- 
out pause  sprang  boldly  and  confidently  ten  feet  straight  downward, 
to  alight  with  accuracy  on  a  single  log  floating  free  in  the  current.  And 
then  in  the  very  glory  and  chaos  of  the  jam  itself  he  was  swept  down- 
stream. 

After  a  moment  the  constant  acceleration  in  speed  checked,  then  com- 
menced perceptibly  to  slacken.  At  once  the  rest  of  the  crew  began  to 
ride  down-stream.  Each  struck  the  calks  of  his  river  boots  strongly 
into  a  log,  and  on  such  unstable  vehicles  floated  miles  with  the  current. 
From  time  to  time,  as  Bryan  Moloney  indicated,  one  of  them  went 
ashore.  There,  usually  at  a  bend  in  the  stream  where  the  likelihood 
of  jamming  was  great,  they  took  their  stands.  When  necessary,  they 
ran  out  over  the  face  of  the  river  to  separate  a  congestion  likely  to  cause 
trouble. 

At  noon  they  ate  from  the  little  canvas  bags  which  had  been  filled 
that  morning  by  the  cookee.  At  sunset  they  rode  other  logs  down 
the  river  to  where  their  camp  had  been  made  for  them.  There  they 
ate  hugely,  hung  their  ice-wet  garments  over  a  tall  framework  con- 
structed around  a  monster  fire,  and  turned  in  on  hemlock  branches^ 

All  night  long  the  logs  shpped  down  the  moonlit  current,  silently, 
swiftly,  yet  without  haste.  From  the  whole  length  of  the  river  rang 
the  hollow  boom,  boom,  boom,  of  timbers  striking  one  against  the  other. 

The  drive  was  on. 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  183 

WHEN  TULIPS  BLOOM  ^ 

By  Henry  Van  Dyke 

I 

When  tulips  bloom  in  Union  Square, 
And  timid  breaths  of  vernal  air 

Go  wandering  down  the  dusty  town, 
Like  children  lost  in  Vanity  Fair; 

When  every  long  unlovely  row 
Of  westward  houses  stands  aglow. 

And  leads  the  eyes  to  sunset  skies 
Beyond  the  hills  where  green  trees  grow; 

Then  weary  seems  the  street  parade, 
And  weary  books,  and  weary  trade: 
I'm  only  wishing  to  go  a-fishing; 
For  this  the  month  of  May  was  made. 

II 

I  guess  the  pussy-willows  now 
Are  creeping  out  on  every  bough 

Along  the  brook;  and  robins  look 
For  early  worms  behind  the  plough. 

The  thistle-birds  have  changed  their  dun, 
For  yellow  coats  to  match  the  sun; 

And  in  the  same  array  of  flame 
The  Dandelion  ^how^s  begun. 

The  flocks  of  young  anemones 

Are  dancing  round  the  budding  trees: 

Who  can  help  wishing  to  go  a-fishing 
In  days  as  full  of  joy  as  these? 

Ill 
I  think  the  meadow  lark's  clear  sound 
Leaks  upward  slowly  from  the  ground, 
^  Reprinted  by  special  arrangement  with  Charles  Scribner's  Sons. 


184  ORAL  ENGLISH 

While  on  the  wing  the  blue-birds  ring 
Their  wedding  bells  to  woods  around. 

The  flirting  chewink  calls  his  dear 
Behind  the  bush;  and  very  near, 

Where  water  flows,  where  green  grass  grows 
Song-sparrows  gently  sing  ^'Good  cheer." 

And,  best  of  all,  through  twilight's  calm 
The  hermit-thrush  repeats  his  psalm. 

How  much  I'm  wishing  to  go  a-fishing 
In  days  so  sweet  with  music's  balm! 

IV 

'Tis  not  a  proud  desire  of  mine; 
I  ask  for  nothing  superfine; 

No  heavy  weight,  no  salmon  great, 
To  break  the  record,  or  my  line. 

Only  an  idle  little  stream. 
Whose  amber  waters  softly  gleam, 

Where  I  may  wade,  through  woodland  shade, 
And  cast  the  fly,  and  loaf,  and  dream: 

Only  a  trout  or  two,  to  dart 

From  foaming  pools,  and  try  my  art: 

'Tis  all  I'm  wishing — old  fashioned  fishing, 
And  just  a  day  on  Nature's  heart. 

MAY  FLOWERS  ^ 
From  The  Joy  o'  Life.    By  Theodosia  Garrison 

May  flowers  on  the  city  street — 

A  keen-faced  vender  sells,  with  eyes 
Fitted  for  coarser  merchandise 

Than  these  pathetic  bits  of  sweet 

That  breathe  of  vague  simplicities. 

*  Reprinted  by  permission  of  Mitchell  Kennerleyo 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  185 

May  flowers  on  the  city  street — 

Here  where  the  tide  of  traffic  roars 

Against  its  narrow,  crowded  shores 
Where  men  go  by  with  hurrying  feet 

And  barter  swings  its  thousand  doors. 

May  flowers  on  the  city  street — 

Why,  'tis  as  though  the  young-eyed  Spring 

Herself  had  come — an  artless  thing, 
A  country  lass,  demure  and  neat — 

To  smile  upon  us  wondering. 

May  flowers  on  the  city  street — 
Pink  and  white  poetry  abloom 
Here  in  this  clamor,  crush  and  gloom — 

A  home  thought  in  the  battle's  heat, 
A  love-song  in  a  sunless  room. 

May  flowers  on  the  city  street — 

For  one  poor  coin  behold  I  buy 

Springtime  and  youth  and  poetry, 
E'en  in  this  sordid  mart  unmeet 

So  many  miles  from  Arcady. 

THE  EAGLE'S  SONG  ^ 

By  Richard  Mansfield 

The  lioness  whelped,  and  the  sturdy  cub 

Was  seized  by  an  eagle  and  carried  up. 

And  homed  for  a  while  in  an  eagle's  nest, 

And  slept  for  a  while  on  an  eagle's  breast; 

And  the  eagle  taught  it  the  eagle's  song: 

''To  be  staunch,  and  valiant,  and  free,  and  strong!'* 

The  lion  whelp  sprang  from  the  eyrie  nest. 
From  the  lofty  crag  where  the  queen  birds  rest; 

^  Reprinted  by  permission  of  Mrs.  Mansfield. 


186  ORAL  ENGLISH 

He  fought  the  king  on  the  spreading  plain, 
And  drove  him  back  o'er  the  foaming  main. 
He  held  the  land  as  a  thrifty  chief, 
And  reared  his  cattle,  and  reaped  his  sheaf, 
Nor  sought  the  help  of  a  foreign  hand. 
Yet  welcomed  all  to  his  own  free  land! 

Two  were  the  sons  that  the  country  bore 
To  the  Northern  lakes  and  the  Southern  shore; 
And  Chivalry  dwelt  with  the  Southern  son. 
And  Industry  lived  with  the  Northern  one. 
Tears  for  the  time  when  they  broke  and  fought! 
Tears  was  the  price  of  the  union  wrought! 
And  the  land  was  red  in  a  sea  of  blood, 
Where  brother  for  brother  had  swelled  the  flood! 

And  now  that  the  two  are  one  again, 

Behold  on  their  shield  the  word  ''Refrain!" 

And  the  lion  cubs  twain  sing  the  eagle's  song: 

''To  be  staunch,  and  valiant,  and  free,  and  strong!" 

For  the  eagle's  beak,  and  the  lion's  paw. 

And  the  lion's  fangs,  and  the  eagle's  claw. 

And  the  eagle's  swoop,  and  the  lion's  might. 

And  the  lion's  leap,  and  the  eagle's  sight. 

Shall  guard  the  flag  with  the  word  "Refrain!" 

Now  that  the  two  are  one  again! 

FALSTAFF'S  VALOR 

From  King  Henry  the  Fourth.    By  William  Shakespeare 

Scene;  The  Boar's  Head  Tavern,  Eastcheap.  There  are  present  Prince 
Hal,  Poins,  Jack  Falstaff,  Gadshill,  Peto  and  others. 

PoiNs:  Welcome,  Jack,  where  hast  thou  been? 

Falstaff:  A  plague  on  all  cowards,  I  say,  and  a  vengeance  too! 
marry,  and  amen! — Give  me  a  cup  of  sack,  boy.  (He  drinks)  Is  there 
DO  virtue  extant?    There  live  not  three  good  men  unhanged  in  England; 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  187 

and  one  of  them  is  fat  and  grows  old;  God  help  the  while!  a  bad  world, 
I  say.    A  plague  of  all  cowards,  1  say  still. 

Prince:  How  now,  wool-sack!  what  mutter  you? 

Falstaff:  a  king's  son!  If  I  do  not  beat  thee  out  of  thy  kingdom 
with  a  dagger  of  lath,  and  drive  all  thy  subjects  afore  thee  like  a  flock  of 
wild-geese,  I'll  never  wear  hair  on  my  face  more.    You  Prince  of  Wales! 

Prince:  Why,  you  round  old  man,  what's  the  matter? 

Falstaff:  Are  not  you  a  coward?  answer  me  that,  — and  Poins  there? 

PoiNs:  Zounds,  ye  fat  paunch,  an  ye  call  me  coward,  by  Heaven, 
I'll  stab  thee. 

Falstaff:  I  call  thee  coward!  I'll  see  thee  damned  ere  I  call  thee 
coward;  but  I  would  give  a  thousand  pound  I  could  run  as  fast  as  thou 
canst.  You  are  straight  enough  in  the  shoulders,  you  care  not  who 
Bees  your  back;  call  you  that  backing  your  friends?  A  plague  upon 
such  backing!    give  me  them  that  will  face  me. 

Prince:  What's  the  matter? 

Falstaff:  What's  the  matter!  there  be  four  of  us  here  have  ta'en 
a  thousand  pounds  this  morning. 

Prince:  Where  is  it.  Jack,  where  is  it? 

Falstaff:  Where  is  it!  taken  from  us  it  is;  a  hundred  upon  poor 
fdur  of  us. 

Prince:  What,  a  hundred,  man? 

Falstaff:  I  am  a  rogue,  if  I  were  not  at  sword  play  with  a  dozen 
of  them  two  hours  together.  I  have  scaped  by  miracle.  I  am  eight 
times  thrust  through  the  doublet,  four  through  the  hose;  my  buckler 
cut  through  and  through;  my  sword  hacked  like  a  hand-saw — ecce 
signum!  I  never  dealt  better  since  I  was  a  man;  all  would  not  do.  A 
plague  of  all  cowards! — Let  them  speak;  if  they  speak  more  or  less  than 
truth,  they  are  villains  and  the  sons  of  darkness. 

Prince:  Speak,  sirs;  how  was  it? 

Gadshill:  We  four  set  upon  some  dozen— 

Falstaff:  Sixteen  at  least,  my  lord. 

Gadshill:  And  bound  them. 

Peto:  No,  no,  they  were  not  bound. 

Falstaff:  You  rogue,  they  were  bound,  every  man  of  them;  or  I  am 
a  Jew  else,  an  Ebrew  Jew. 


188  ORAL  ENGLISH 

Gadshill:  As  we  were  sharing,  some  six  or  seven  fresh  men  set  upon 
us — 

Falstaff:  And  unbound  the  rest,  and  then  come  in  the  other. 

Prince  :  What,  fought  you  with  them  all? 

Falstaff:  All!  I  know  not  w^hat  you  call  all;  but  if  I  fought  not  with 
fifty  of  them,  I  am  a  bunch  of  radish:  if  there  were  not  two  or  three  and 
fifty  upon  old  Jack,  then  am  I  no  two-legged  creature. 

Prince:  Pray  God  you  have  not  murthered  some  of  them. 

Falstaff:  Nay,  that's  past  praying  for;  I  have  peppered  two  of 
them;  two  I  am  sure  I  have  paid,  two  rogues  in  buckram  suits.  I  tell 
thee  what,  Hal,  if  I  tell  thee  a  He,  spit  in  my  face,  call  me  horse.  Thou 
knowest  my  old  ward;  here  I  lay,  and  thus  I  bore  my  point.  Four 
rogues  in  buckram  let  drive  at  me — 

Prince:  What,  four?  thou  saidst  but  two  even  now. 

Falstaff:  Four,  Hal;  I  told  thee  four. 

PoiNs:  Ay,  ay,  he  said  four. 

Falstaff:  These  four  came  all  a-front,  and  mainly  thrust  at  me.  I 
made  me  no  more  ado  but  took  all  their  seven  points  in  my  target, 
thus. 

Prince:  Seven?  why  there  were  but  four  even  now. 

Falstaff:  In  buckram? 

PoiNs:  Ay,  four,  in  buckram  suits. 

Falstaff:  Seven,  by  these  hilts,  or  I  am  a  villain  else. 

Prince:  Prithee,  let  him  alone;  we  shall  have  more  anon. 

Falstaff:  Dost  thou  hear  me,  Hal? 

Prince:  Ay,  and  mark  thee  too.  Jack. 

Falstaff:  Do  so,  for  it  is  worth  the  listening  to.  These  nine  in 
buckram  that  I  told  thee  of — 

Prince:  So,  two  more  already. 

Falstaff:  Their  points  being  broken, — 

PoiNs:  Down  fell  their  hose. 

Falstaff:  Began  to  give'  me  ground:  but  I  followed  me  close, 
came  in  foot  and  hand;  and  with  a  thought  seven  of  the  elev^  I 
paid. 

Prince:  0  monstrous!  eleven  buckram  men  grown  out  of  two! 

Falstaff:  But,  as  the  devil  would  have  it,  three  knaves  in  Kendal 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  189 

green  came  at  my  back  and  let  drive  at  me;  for  it  was  so  dark,  Hal, 
that  thou  couldst  not  see  thy  hand. 

Prince:  These  lies  are  like  their  father  that  begets  them;  gross  as 
a  mountain,  open,  palpable.  Why,  thou  clay-brained,  greasy  tallow- 
catch, — 

Falstaff:  What,  art  thou  mad?  is  not  the  truth  the  truth? 

Prince:  Why,  how  couldst  thou  know  these  men  in  Kendal  green, 
when  it  was  so  dark  thou  couldst  not  see  thy  hand?  come,  tell  us  your 
reason;  what  sayest  thou  to  this? 

PoiNs:  Come,  your  reason.  Jack,  your  reason. 

Falstaff:  What,  upon  compulsion?  Zounds,  an  I  were  at  the 
strappado,  or  all  the  racks  in  the  world,  I  would  not  tell  you  on  compul- 
sion! if  reasons  were  as  plenty  as  blackberries,  I  would  give  no  man  a 
reason  upon  compulsion,  I. 

Prince:  I'll  be  no  longer  guilty  of  this  sin;  this  sanguine  coward,  this 
huge  hill  of  flesh, — 

Falstaff:  'Sblood,  you  starveling,  you  eel-skin,  you  dried  neat's 
tongue, — O  for  breath  to  utter  what  is  like  thee! — 

Prince:  Well,  breathe  awhile,  and  then  to  it  again;  and  when  thou 
hast  tired  thyself  in  base  comparisons,  hear  me  speak  but  this. 

PoiNs:  Mark,  Jack. 

Prince:  We  saw  you  four  set  on  four  and  bound  them,  and  were 
masters  of  their  wealth.  Mark  now,  how  a  plain  tale  shall  put  you 
down.  Then  did  we  two  set  on  you  four;  and,  with  a  word,  out-faced 
you  from  your  prize,  and  have  it;  yea,  and  can  show  it  you  here  in  the 
house:  and,  Falstaff,  you  carried  your  guts  away  so  nimbly,  with  as 
quick  dexterity,  and  roared  for  mercy  and  still  run  and  roared,  as  ever 
I  heard  bull  calf.  What  a  slave  art  thou,  to  hack  thy  sword,  as  thou 
hast  done,  and  then  say  it  was  in  fight !  What  trick,  what  device,  what 
starting-hole,  canst  thou  now  find  out  to  hide  thee  from  this  open  and 
apparent  shame? 

PoiNs:  Come,  let's  hear.  Jack;  what  trick  hast  thou  now? 

Falstaff:  By  Heaven,  I  knew  ye.  Why,  hear  you,  my  masters; 
was  it  for  me  to  kill  the  heir-apparent?  Should  I  turn  upon  the  true 
prince?  why,  thou  knowest  I  am  as  valiant  as  Hercules;  but  beware 
instinct;  the  lion  will  not  touch  the  true  prince.    Instinct  is  a  great 


190  ORAL  ENGLISH 

matter;  I  was  now  a  coward  on  instinct.  I  shall  think  the  better  of 
myself  and  thee  during  my  life;  I  for  a  valiant  lion,  and  thou  for  a  true 
prince.    But  lads,  I  am  glad  you  have  the  money. 

A  SILLY  OLD  MAN  ^ 

By  George  R.  Sims 

'Mid  all  the  nasty  things  that  come  to  make  our  tempers  smart, 

It's  very  nice  in  middle  age  to  have  a  childish  heart. 

To  feel — although  you've  got  a  house,  and  taxes  coming  due — 

The  little  joys  of  early  Hfe  possess  a  charm  for  you. 

My  boys  and  girls  are  growing  up;  I'm  fifty  in  a  day; 

And  all  the  hair  that  time  has  left  has  turned  a  doubtful  gray; 

And  yet  I  jump  and  skip  about  and  sing  a  song  of  glee, 

Because  we're  off  to  spend  a  month  beside  the  sounding  sea. 

Where  I  shall  wear  my  holland  clothes,  and  tuck  them  up  and  wade, 

And  buy  myself  an  air-balloon,  a  bucket  and  a  spade. 

I've  packed  my  box  and  corded  it,  and  seen  my  boys  to  bed, 
And  now  I'm  in  the  drawing-room  and  standing  on  my  head; 
I  really  can't  contain  myself,  I  shout  and  rub  my  hands, — 
Oh,  won't  I  build  a  castle  with  a  moat  upon  the  sands! 
I  know  this  week  I've  lost  a  lot  of  money  upon  'Change, 
I  know  the  kitchen  boiler's  burst  and  spoilt  the  kitchen  range, 
I  know  my  wife  declares  she  wants  another  hundred  pounds. 
And  I  should  weep  and  tear  my  hair,  because  I've  ample  grounds; 
But  visions  of  to-morrow's  bliss  bid  all  my  sorrows  fade, — 
There's  comfort  in  an  air-balloon,  a  bucket  and  a  spade. 

I  ought  to  be  a  solemn  chap,  and  dress  in  black,  and  frown, 
And  do  as  other  fathers  do  when  going  out  of  town; 
I  ought  to  count  the  cost  of  it,  and  look  extremely  riled. 
And  swear  that  all  the  packing-up  will  send  me  nearly  wild. 
And  when  I  reach  the  lovely  sea  I  ought  to  take  a  seat. 
Or  walk  about  a  mile  a  day  and  grumble  at  the  heat; 

^Reprinted  by  permission  of  George  Routledge  and  Sons,  London. 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  191 

But  oh,  I  can't  contain  myself,  I'm  off  my  head  with  joy, 
And  won't  I  get  my  trousers  wet  and  be  a  naughty  boy! 
For  I  shall  wear  my  holland  clothes,  and  tuck  them  up  and  wade, 
And  buy  myself  an  air-balloon,  a  bucket  and  a  spade. 

UNDER  THE  SIGN  OF  THE  GOLDEN  SHOE^ 

From  Tales  of  the  Mermaid  Tavern.    By  Alfred  Noyes 

Note.     Christopher   (Kit)    Marlowe,   the  dramatist,   was  the  son  of  a 
cobbler  and  played  about  his  father's  shop  in  his  boyhood. 

A  cobbler  lived  in  Canterbury 
— He  is  dead  now,  poor  soul! — 
He  sat  at  his  door  and  stitched  in  the  sun, 
Nodding  and  smiling  at  everyone; 
'  For  St.  Hugh  makes  all  good  cobblers  merry 

And  often  he  sang  as  the  pilgrims  passed, 
"  I  can  hammer  a  soldier's  boot. 
And  daintily  glove  a  dainty  foot. 
Many  a  sandal  from  my  hand 
Has  walked  the  road  to  Holy  Land. 
Knights  may  fight  for  me,  priests  may  pray  for  me, 
Pilgrims  walk  the  pilgrim's  way  for  me, 
I  have  a  work  in  the  world  to  do! 
— Trowl  the  howl,  the  nut-brown  howl, 

To  good  St.  Hugh!— 
The  cobbler  must  stick  to  his  last." 

And  anon  he  would  cry 
" Kit!  Kit!  Kit!"  to  his  little  son, 
"  Look  at  the  pilgrims  riding  by! 
Dance  down,  hop  down,  after  them,  run! " 
Then,  like  an  unfledged  linnet,  out 
Would  tumble  the  brave  little  lad, 

^  Copyright,  1913,  by  Frederick  A.  Stokes  Company,  and  reprinted  by  their 
permission. 


192  ORAL  ENGLISH 

With  a  piping  shout, — 

**  O,  look  at  them,  look  at  them,  look  at  them,  Dad! 

Priest  and  prioress,  abbot  and  friar, 

Soldier  and  seaman,  knight  and  squire! 

How  many  countries  have  they  seen? 

Is  there  a  king  there,  is  there  a  queen? 

Dad,  one  day, 

Thou  and  I  must  ride  like  this, 

All  along  the  Pilgrim's  Way, 

By  Glastonbury  and  Samarcand, 

El  Dorado  and  Cathay, 

London  and  Persepolis, 

All  the  way  to  the  Holy  Land!" 

Then  shaking  his  head  as  if  he  knew. 
Under  the  sign  of  the  Golden  Shoe, 
Touched  by  the  glow  of  the  setting  sun, 
While  the  pilgrims  passed, 
The  little  cobbler  would  laugh  and  say; 
*'  When  you  are  old  you  will  understand 
'Tis  a  very  long  way 
To  Samarcand! 
Why,  largely  to  exaggerate 
Befits  not  men  of  small  estate, 
But — I  should  say,  yes,  I  should  say, 
'Tis  a  hundred  miles  from  where  you  stand; 
And  a  hundred  more,  my  little  son, 
A  hundred  more,  to  Holy  Land!  ... 
I  have  a  work  in  the  world  to  do 
— Trowl  the  howl,  the  nut-brown  howl, 

To  good  St.  Hugh!— 
The  cobbler  must  stick  to  his  last." 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  193 

THE  ELECTRIC  TRAM  i 
From  The  Enchanted  Island.    By  Alfred  Notes 

Bluff  and  burly  and  splendid 

Through  roaring  traffic-tides, 
By  secret  lightnings  attended 

The  land-ship  hisses  and  glides. 
And  I  sit  on  its  bridge  and  I  watch  and  I  dream 

While  the  world  goes  gallantly  by, 
With  all  its  crowded  houses  and  its  colored  shops  a-stream 

Under  the  June-blue  sky, 
Heigh,  ho! 

Under  the  June-blue  sky. 

There's  a  loafer  at  the  curb  with  a  sulphur-colored  pile 

Of  "  Lights!  Lights!  Lights!  "  to  sell; 
And  a  flower-girl  there  with  some  liUes  and  a  smile 

By  the  gilt  swing-doors  of  a  drinking  hell. 
Where  the  money  is  rattling  loud  and  fast, 

And  I  catch  one  ghmpse  as  the  ship  swings  past 
Of  a  woman  with  a  babe  at  her  breast 

Wrapped  in  a  ragged  shawl; 
She  is  drinking  away  with  the  rest, 

And  the  sun  shines  over  it  all. 
Heigh,  ho! 

The  sun  shines  over  it  all! 

And  a  barrel-organ  is  playing, 

Somewhere,  far  away, 
Abide  with  me,  and  The  world  is  gone  a-maying, 

And  What  will  the  policeman  say? 
There's  a  glimpse  of  the  river  down  an  alley  by  a  church, 

And  the  barges  with  their  tawny-colored  sails, 

*  Copyright,  1913,  by  Frederick  A.  Stokes  and  Company,  and  reprinted  bj 
their  permission. 


194  ORAL  ENGLISH 

And  a  grim  and  grimy  coal-wharf  where  the  London  pigeons  perch 
And  flutter  and  spread  their  tails, 

Heigh,  ho! 
Flutter  and  spread  their  tails. 

O,  what  does  it  mean,  all  the  pageant  and  the  pity, 

The  waste  and  the  wonder  and  the  shame? 
I  am  riding  tow'rds  the  sunset  through  the  vision  of  a  City 

Which  we  cloak  with  the  stupor  of  a  name! 
I  am  riding  through  ten  thousand  tragedies  and  terrors. 

Ten  million  heavens  that  save  and  hells  that  damn; 
And  the  lightning  draws  my  car  towards  the  golden  evening  star; 

And — they  call  it  only  "riding  on  a  tram," 
Heigh,  ho! 

They  call  it  only  "  riding  on  a  tram." 

WHEN  I  GO  OUT  ON  MY  WHEEL  ^ 

By  Alfred  James  Waterhouse 

When  I  go  out  on  my  wheel,  the  world 
Goes  scurrying  past,  as  the  Hand  unfurled 
The  leagues  of  hurrying  brown  and  green; 
And  I  see  the  little  white  houses  between 
The  hedges  and  trees,  and  the  air  strikes  hard 
On  my  lifted  face,  and  the  odor  of  nard, 
Of  myrtle  and  roses,  exalts  like  wine. 
As  I  ride  on  my  wheel  and  the  world  is  mine. 

When  I  go  out  on  my  wheel,  the  town 

Fades  away — fades  away  into  stretches  of  brown; 

And  I  hear  the  murmur  of  brooks  that  run 

Through  the  shady  nooks  till  they  greet  the  sun. 

And  it's  ho!  oho!  for  the  joy  I  feel 

As  I  ride,  as  I  glide,  on  my  steed  of  steel: 

And  the  day  and  its  moments  are  all  divine. 

As  I  ride  on  my  wheel  and  the  world  is  mine. 

^  Reprinted  by  permission  of  the  author. 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  195 

When  I  go  out  on  my  wheel,  I  know 

That  back  to  the  toil  and  the  grind  I  must  go; 

But  I  do  not  mind  as  the  moments  fly, 

For  the  world  is  fair  and  its  child  am  I. 

So  it's  ho!  for  the  hedges  that  glide  and  glide, 

And  it's  ho!  for  the  brooklets  that  hide  and  hide, 

And  it's  ho !  for  the  day  with  its  smile  benign, 

As  I  ride  on  my  wheel  and  the  world  is  mine« 


RELATIVE  VALUES  SUGGESTED  BY  DELIVERY 

By  varieties  of  emphasis  in  reading,  we  are  able  to  make 
prominent  what  is  important  in  a  sentence  and  to  put  in  the 
background  what  is  least  important.  What  is  relatively 
important  in  a  selection  as  a  whole,  should  also  be  determined 
by  painstaking  analysis,  and  the  reader's  estimate  of  relative 
values  expressed  by  a  careful  delivery.  Preserve  the  balance 
and  purpose  of  the  following  selections  by  attention  to  this 
principle  in  expressive  delivery. 


HOW    WENDELL    PHILLIPS    BECAME    AN    ANTI-SLAVERY 
REFORMER  i 

By  Mary  A.  Livermore 

It  is  possible  to  comprehend  the  character  of  Wendell  Phillips  only 
as  he  is  seen  against  the  dark  background  of  slavery.  He  made  his 
debut  as  an  anti-slavery  reformer,  and  he  was  known  as  an  anti-slavery 
reformer  from  the  time  he  began  his  w^ork  until  he  was  discharged  by 
death  from  all  work  of  an  earthly  character. 

Wendell  Phillips  was  the  son  of  the  first  mayor  of  Boston,  and  was 
born  on  Beacon  Street.  He  was  rich,  and  never  knew  the  want  of  a 
dollar  in  his  life.  He  had  the  beauty  of  a  Greek  Apollo  in  face  and 
figure.  He  had  the  culture  of  Harvard  College  in  his  brains.  He  was 
the  idol  of  the  aristocrats  of  Boston.  In  his  veins  ran  the  same  blood 
that  flowed  in  the  veins  of  Phillips  Brooks,  of  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes. 
On  every  side  Wendell  Phillips  was  hedged  about  by  the  highest  and 
noblest  influences. 

It  was  a  mob  that  sought  to  hang  William  Lloyd  Garrison  which 
gave  Wendell  Phillips  to  the  cause  of  abolition.  He  saw  Mr.  Garrison, 
whom  he  did  not  know,  with  a  rope  about  his  waist,  dragged  through 
the  streets  of  Boston.    He  said,  "What  is  the  matter  with  the  fellow?  " 

''Why,  he  is  the  anti-slavery  leader,  the  editor  of  The  Liberator j'^ 
answered  a  man  at  his  elbow. 

''Why  don't  you  call  out  the  cadets,  and  put  down  this  mob?''  de- 
manded Phillips. 

The  man  turned  round  and  said,  "You  fool,  don't  you  see  it  is  the 
cadets  that  are  trying  to  hang  him?" 

The  next  day  Wendell  Phillips  resigned  from  the  cadets,  and  re- 
canted his  oath  to  support  the  constitution  of  the  United  States;  be- 
cause it  could  compel  him  to  return  fugitive  slaves.  So  that  mob  gave 
the  world  Wendell  Phillips. 

^  Reprinted  by  permission  of  the  Emerson  College  Magazine. 

197 


198  ORAL  ENGLISH 

Soon  after  this  incident,  Elijah  Lovejoy,  who  had  gone  to  Illinois 
and  started  an  anti-slavery  paper,  had  his  press  destroyed,  and  thrown 
into  the  Mississippi  River.  He  bought  another,  and  that  they  de- 
stroyed. He  got  a  third,  and  said,  ''This  paper  my  friends  and  I  will 
defend  with  our  lives!"  That  night  a  number  of  his  friends  stayed 
with  him  in  the  warehouse  until  late,  after  which,  thinking  all  was  safe, 
they  went  to  their  homes  and  left  him  with  a  few  others. 

Hardly  had  they  gone  when  there  came  a  mob  of  the  lowest,  vilest, 
drunken  ruffians  one  could  imagine.  They  came  out  all  armed  ready 
for  anything.  The  first  salutation  that  the  men  in  the  warehouse  heard, 
was  the  falling  of  stones  that  broke  in  every  window.  Immediately 
Lovejoy  replied  that  there  were  men  inside,  all  heavily  armed  that 
would  take  care  of  themselves  and  the  press;  but  the  throwing  of  stones 
continued.  One  of  the  ruffians  set  the  roof  on  fire.  Lovejoy  came  out 
on  the  roof,  his  figure  clearly  revealed,  a  splendid  target,  against  the 
blazing  conflagration.  When  he  turned  and  again  warned  them,  a  well 
aimed  shot  was  fired  and  he  dropped  dead.  After  that,  it  was  impossible 
for  a  posse  of  officers  to  do  anything  with  the  mob  until  they  were  fully 
satisfied. 

The  story  of  this  outrage  went  across  the  country  on  the  wings  of 
the  wind.  Everybody  was  saying,  ''Are  we  white  slaves?  Have  we 
a  collar  about  our  necks?  May  we  not  publish  our  own  papers  and 
say  what  we  please?"  Meetings  were  called  all  over  the  country  in 
defense  of  free  speech  and  free  press.  One  was  held  in  Faneuil  Hall  in 
defense  of  free  speech  and  in  opposition  to  slavery.  Dr.  Channing 
made  the  first  speech.  He  spoke  much  about  free  speech,  but  very 
gingerly  about  slavery.  Two  other  men  followed  and  talked  the  same 
way.  It  seemed  as  if  the  crowded  audience  were  all  of  one  opinion. 
Suddenly  there  arose  in  the  gallery  James  T.  Austin.  He  said  he  was 
glad  Lovejoy  was  shot;  that  he  died  as  he  deserved  to  die.  He  said  the 
man  who  shot  Lovejoy  deserved  to  rank  with  the  patriots  of  the  Com- 
monwealth whose  portraits  looked  down  from  the  walls  of  Faneuil 
Hall. 

The  excitement  which  followed  was  intense.  The  friends  of  Austin 
applauded  to  the  echo,  while  the  anti-slavery  men  hissed  and  groaned 
and  the  house  resounded  with  cries.    A  young  man  was  seen  making  his 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  199 

way  through  the  immense  crowd.  He  came  up  and  faced  the  audience. 
Everybody  was  saying,  ''Who  is  the  handsome  young  fellow?"  but  there 
was  a  free  masonry  which  made  them  believe  he  was  not  to  side  with 
Austin.  Finally,  a  few  of  the  men  came  on  the  platform  and  insisted  that 
the  young  man  should  be  heard. 

Wendell  Phillips  began.  His  voice  was  music;  its  fine  modulations, 
as  he  talked  in  a  conversational  way,  reached  out  to  the  remotest  corners 
of  the  hall.  Every  one  listened  while  he  gave  a  vocal  picture  of  the 
tragedy  of  the  night  which  had  brought  about  the  meeting.  As  he  went 
on  with  his  graphic  description  they  saw  Love  joy  on  the  roof  of  the 
house;  they  heard  the  shots;  they  saw  the  whole  horrible  affair;  they 
saw  the  low  ruffians,  those  half  savage  men,  as  they  came  out  from  their 
lairs,  bent  on  murder.  When  he  reached  the  point  where  they  were 
all  horror  stricken  with  the  tragedy,  as  they  had  not  been  before,  he 
said,  *' When  I  heard  the  Attorney-General  of  Massachusetts  class  those 
drunken  murderers  with  the  patriots  of  the  Commonwealth,  I  mar- 
velled, O  Hancock,  Adams,  Otis  and  Quincy,  that  your  pictured  lips 
did  not  break  out  and  rebuke  this  recreant  slanderer  of  the  noble  dead! 
I  marvelled  that  this  cradle  of  liberty  did  not  rock  and  heave  again,  and 
that  the  earth  did  not  open  and  swallow  him  up  for  his  profanity!'' 

If  there  was  excitement  before,  there  was  pandemonium  now.  Phillips 
had  won.  The  majority,  standing  on  tiptoe,  shouted,  ^^Go  on!  Take 
nothing  back!"  while  the  other  faction  shouted,  ''Throw  him  out!  Sit 
down!  Be  quiet!"  He  stood  there  with  his  arms  folded  and  let  the 
mob  howl  itself  out.  Now  he  made  his  speech  about  slavery,  and  it  was 
not  gingerly.  This  was  his  debut  as  an  anti-slavery  reformer.  It  was 
a  speech  that  held  everybody  breathless.  He  foretold  the  end  of  slavery. 
He  pictured  what  it  would  be  if  it  were  allowed  to  grow.  Everybody 
was  spellbound;  nobody  hissed. 

The  moment  he  finished  he  received  a  perfect  ovation.  He  went 
out  with  the  reputation  of  having  made  the  greatest  speech  ever  heard 
in  the  city  of  Boston.  He  went  out  poorer  than  the  poorest  beggar  that 
goes  from  alley  to  alley  to  beg  for  food.  He  had  killed  every  chance 
of  political  advancement  he  might  ever  hope  to  win;  completely  ostra- 
cised, nothing  remained  for  him  but  to  be  a  private  citizen  afterward. 

Have  you  ever  read  of  a  case  like  this?    Here  was  a  man  twenty-six 


200  ORAL  ENGLISH 

years  old,  an  aristocrat,  of  a  noble  family,  a  graduate  of  Harvard,  full 
of  dreams  and  aspirations,  who  might  have  had  anything  he  might  ask 
for  himself;  yet  he  gave  up  society  and  descended,  not  only  to  the  level 
of  the  common  people,  but  lower  than  that, — to  the  depths  of  the  pit 
digged  by  the  American  people  for  the  black  slave.  He  went  there  of 
his  own  accord,  refusing  everything,  taking  his  stand  by  the  side  of 
that  black  slave  of  the  South;  and  looking  up  calmly  at  the  American 
government  and  the  church  and  society,  he  said,  ''I  stand  by  this  black 
slave.  His  cause  and  mine  are  one.  Whatsoever  ye  do  to  him  ye  do 
unto  me."  There  he  stood  calmly,  steadfastly,  enduring  everything, 
foregoing  everything,  until  at  last  the  black  man  was  raised  to  the  level 
of  the  white  man. 

AMERICA  THE  CRUCIBLE  OF  GOD 

From  The  Melting-Pot.    By  Israel  Zangwill 

Scene.  The  living-room  at  the  Quixanos  home,  Richmond  Borougli, 
New  York  City.  There  are  present  Mendel  and  David  Quixanos,  uncle  and 
nephew,  the  former  a  pianist  and  the  latter  a  violinist  and  composer,  al^o 
Vera  Revendal,  a  settlement  worker  calling  at  the  Quixanos  home  who  has 
just  learned  that  her  letter  mailed  a  week  before  to  David,  has  not  been  de- 
livered to   him. 

David:  A  letter  for  me!  (He  opens  it  eagerly,  reads  and  smiles)  Oh, 
Miss  Revendal!  Isn't  that  great!  To  play  again  at  your  settlement. 
I  am  getting  famous. 

Vera:  But  we  can't  offer  you  a  fee. 

David:  A  fee!  I'd  pay  a  fee  to  see  all  those  happy  immigrants  you 
gather  together, — Dutchmen  and  Greeks,  Poles  and  Norwegians,  Swiss 
and  Armenians.  If  you  only  had  Jews  it  would  be  as  good  as  going  to 
Ellis  Island. 

Vera:  What  a  strange  taste!  Who  in  the  world  wants  to  go  to  Ellis 
Island. 

David:  Oh,  I  love  to  go  to  Ellis  Island  to  watch  the  ships  coming 
in  from  Europe,  and  to  think  that  all  those  weary,  sea-tossed  wanderers 
are  feeling  what  I  felt  when  America  first  stretched  out  her  great  mother* 
hand  to  me! 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  201 

Vera:  Were  you  very  happy? 

David:  It  was  heaven.  You  must  remember  that  all  my  life  I  had 
heard  of  America — everybody  in  our  town  had  friends  there  or  was 
going  there  or  got  money  orders  from  there.  The  earliest  game  I  played 
at  was  selling  off  my  toy  furniture  and  setting  up  in  America.  All  my 
life  America  was  waiting,  beckoning,  shining — the  place  where  God 
would  wipe  away  tears  from  off  all  faces.    {He  ends  in  a  half-soh) 

Mendel:  Now,  now,  David,  don't  get  excited. 

David:  To  think  that  the  skme  great  torch  of  liberty  which  threw 
its  light  across  all  the  broad  seas  and  lands  into  my  little  garret  in  Russia, 
is  shining  also  for  all  those  other  weeping  millions  of  Europe,  shining 
wherever  men  hunger  and  are  oppressed — 

Mendel  (Soothingly):  Yes,  yes,  David.    Now  sit  down  and — 

David:  Shining  over  the  starving  villages  of  Italy  and  Ireland,  over 
the  swarming  stony  cities  of  Poland  and  Galicia,  over  the  ruined  farms 
of  Roumania,  over  the  shambles  of  Russia — 

Mendel  {Pleading):  David! 

David:  Oh,  Miss  Revendal,  when  I  look  at  our  Statue  of  Liberty, 
I  just  seem  to  hear  the  voice  of  America  crying:  ''  Come  unto  me  all  ye 
that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden  and  I  will  give  you  rest — rest." 

Mendel:  Don't  talk  any  more — you  know  it  is  bad  for  you. 

David:  But  Miss  Revendal  asked — and  I  want  to  explain  to  her 
what  America  means  to  me. 

Mendel:  You  can  explain  it  in  your  American  symphony. 

Vera:  You  compose? 

David:  Oh,  uncle,  why  did  you  talk  of — ?  uncle  always — my  music 
is  so  thin  and  tinkling.  When  I  am  writing  my  American  symphony, 
it  seems  like  thunder  crashing  through  a  forest  full  of  bird  songs.  But 
next  day — oh,  next  day! 

Vera:  So  your  music  finds  inspiration  in  America? 

David:  Yes,  in  the  seething  of  the  Crucible. 

Vera:  The  Crucible?    I  don't  understand! 

David:  Not  understand!  You,  the  spirit  of  the  settlement!  Not 
understand  that  America  is  God's  Crucible,  the  great  Melting  Pot 
where  all  the  races  of  Europe  are  melting  and  re-forming!  Here  you 
stand,  good  folk,  think  I,  when  I  see  them  at  Ellis  Island,  here  you 


202  ORAL  ENGLISH 

stand  in  your  fifty  groups,  with  your  fifty  languages  and  histories,  and 
your  fifty  blood  hatreds  and  rivalries.  But  you  won't  be  long  like  that, 
brothers,  for  these  are  the  fires  of  God  you've  come  to — these  are  the 
fires  of  God.  A  fig  for  your  feuds  and  vendettas!  Germans  and  French- 
men, Irishmen  and  Englishmen,  Jews  and  Russians — into  the  Crucible 
with  you  all !    God  is  making  the  American. 

Mendel:  I  should  have  thought  the  American  was  made  already—^ 
eighty  millions  of  him. 

David:  Eighty  millions!  Over  a  continent!  Why,  that  cockleshell 
of  a  Britain  has  forty  millions!  No,  uncle,  the  real  American  has  not 
yet  arrived.  He  is  only  in  the  Crucible,  I  tell  you — he  will  be  the  fusion 
of  all  races,  the  coming  superman.  Ah,  what  a  glorious  Finale  for  my 
symphony — if  I  can  only  write  it. 

HYMN  TO  THE  NORTH  STAR^ 

By  William  Cullen  Bryant 

The  sad  and  solemn  night 
Hath  yet  her  multitude  of  cheerful  fires; 

The  glorious  host  of  light 
Walk  the  dark  atmosphere  till  she  retires; 
All  through  her  silent  watches,  gliding  slow, 
Her  constellations  come,  and  climb  the  heavens,  and  go. 

Day,  too,  hath  many  a  star 
To  grace  his  gorgeous  reign,  as  bright  as  they: 

Through  the  blue  fields  afar, 
Unseen,  they  follow  in  his  flaming  way: 
Many  a  bright  lingerer,  as  the  eve  grows  dim, 
Tells  what  a  radiant  troop  arose  and  set  with  him. 

And  thou  dost  see  them  rise. 
Star  of  the  Pole!  and  thou  dost  see  them  set. 

Alone,  in  thy  cold  skies, 
Thou  keep'st  thy  old  unwavering  station  yet, 

^  Reprinted  by  permission  of  D.  Appleton  and  Company. 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  203 

Nor  join'st  the  dances  of  that  gUttering  train, 
Nor  dipp'st  thy  virgin  orb  in  the  blue  western  main. 

There,  at  morn's  rosy  birth, 
Thou  lookest  meekly  through  the  kindling  air, 

And  eve,  that  round  the  Earth 
Chases  the  day,  beholds  thee  watching  there; 
There  noontide  finds  thee,  and  the  hour  that  calls 
The  shapes  of  polar  flame  to  scale  heaven's  azure  walls. 

Alike,  beneath  thine  eye. 
The  deeds  of  darkness  and  of  light  are  done; 

High  toward  the  starlit  sky 
Towns  blaze,  the  smoke  of  battle  blots  the  Sun; 
The  night-storm  on  a  thousand  hills  is  loud. 
And  the  strong  wind  of  day  doth  mingle  sea  and  cloud. 

On  thy  unaltering  blaze 
The  half-wrecked  mariner,  his  compass  lost, 

Fixes  his  steady  gaze. 
And  steers,  undoubting,  to  the  friendly  coast; 
And  they  who  stray  in  perilous  wastes,  by  night, 
Aie  glaa  when  thou  dost  shine  to  guide  their  footsteps  right. 

And,  therefore,  bards  of  old. 
Sages  and  hermits  of  the  solemn  wood, 

Did  in  thy  beams  behold 
A  beauteous  type  of  that  unchanging  good, 
That  bright  eternal  beacon,  by  whose  ray 
The  voyager  of  time  should  shape  his  heedful  way. 

THE  SWAN  CREEK  CHURCH  OPENED  ^ 

Abridged  from  The  Sky  Pilot.    By  Ralph  Connor 

When  Arthur  Wellington  Moore  came  to  Swan  Creek  as  a  missionary, 
he  was  dubbed  the  "Sky  Pilot."    At  first  the  rough  cowboys  and  miners 

^  Copyrighted  1899,  by  Fleming  H.  Revell  Co.,  and  quoted  by  special 
permission.    Must  not  be  reprinted  without  permission. 


204  ORAL  ENGLISH 

were  slow  to  admit  him  to  their  confidence,  but  steadily  he  won  his 
place  with  them  till  they  came  to  count  him  as  one  of  themselves.  He 
rode  the  range  with  them,  he  slept  in  their  shacks  and  cooked  his  meals 
on  their  tin  stoves.  It  took  them  a  long  time  to  believe  that  the  in- 
terest he  showed  in  them  was  genuine  and  not  simply  professional. 
Then,  too,  from  a  preacher,  they  expected  chiefly  pity,  warning  and 
rebuke.  The  Pilot  astonished  them  by  giving  them  respect,  admiration 
and  open  hearted  affection.  It  was  months  before  they  could  get  oyer 
the  suspicion  that  he  was  humbugging  them.  When  once  they  did, 
they  gave  him  back  without  knowing  it,  all  the  trust  and  love  of  their 
big  generous  hearts. 

When  the  Pilot  set  his  heart  upon  building  a  church,  few  agreed  with 
him;  but  finally  Bronco  Bill  and  some  of  his  pals  championed  the  cause 
and  pledged  themselves  so  handsomely,  that  it  chagrined  those  who 
should  have  been  first  to  subscribe. 

The  building  of  the  Swan  Creek  Church  made  a  sensation  in  the 
country,  and  all  the  more  that  Bronco  Bill  was  in  command.  "When 
I  put  up  money  I  stay  with  the  game,"  he  announced;  and  stay  he  did 
to  the  great  benefit  of  the  work  and  to  the  delight  of  the  Pilot,  who  was 
wearing  his  life  out  trying  to  do  several  men's  work.  It  was  Bill  that 
organized  the  gangs  for  hauling  stones  for  the  foundations  and  logs  for 
the  walls,  and  it  was  Bill  that  assigned  the  various  jobs  to  those  volun- 
teering service. 

When  near  the  end  of  the  year,  the  Pilot  fell  sick.  Bill  nursed  him 
like  a  mother  and  sent  him  off  for  rest  and  change,  forbidding  him  to 
return  till  the  church  w^as  finished,  and  visiting  him  twice  a  week. 

The  day  of  the  church  opening  came,  as  all  days,  however  long  waited 
for,  will  come — a  bright,  beautiful  Christmas  Day.  The  air  was  still 
and  full  of  frosty  light,  as  if  arrested  by  a  voice  of  command,  waiting 
the  word  to  move.  The  hills  lay  under  their  dazzling  coverlets,  asleep. 
Back  of  all  the  great  peaks  lifted  majestic  heads  out  of  the  dark  forest 
and  gazed  with  calm,  steadfast  faces  upon  the  white,  sunlit  world. 
To-day,  as  the  light  filled  the  cracks  that  wrinkled  their  hard  faces, 
they  seemed  to  smile,  as  if  the  Christmas  joy  had  somehow  moved 
something  in  their  old,  stony  hearts. 

The  people  were  all  there — farmers,  ranchers,  cowboys,  wives  and 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  205 

children — all  happy,  all  proud  of  their  new  church,  and  now  all  expect- 
ant, waiting  for  the  Pilot.  As  time  passed  on,  Bill  as  master  of  cere- 
monies, began  to  grow  uneasy.  Then  Indian  Joe  appeared  and  handed 
a  note  to  Bill.  He  read  it,  grew  gray  in  the  face  and  passed  it  to  me. 
Looking,  I  saw  in  poor,  wavering  lines  the  words,  ''Dear  Bill.  Go  on 
with  the  opening.  Sing  the  Psalm,  you  know  the  one,  and  say  a  prayer, 
and  oh,  come  to  me  quick,  Bill.    Your  Pilot.'^ 

Bill  gradually  pulled  himself  together,  announced  in  a  strange  voice, 
''The  Pilot  can't  come,"  handed  me  the  Psalm,  and  said;  "Make  them 
sing." 

It  was  that  grand  Psalm  for  all  hill  peoples,  "I  to  the  hills  will  lift 
mine  eyes,"  and  with  wondering  faces  they  sang  the  strong,  steadying 
words.  After  the  Psalm  was  over  the  people  sat  and  waited.  Bill  looked 
at  the  Hon.  Fred  Ashley,  then  at  Robbie  Muir,  then  said  to  me  in  a 
low  voice;  "Kin  you  make  a  prayer?" 

I  shook  my  head,  ashamed  as  I  did  so  of  my  cowardice. 

Again  Bill  paused,  then  said;  "The  Pilot  says  ther's  got  to  be  a  prayer. 
Kin  anyone  make  one?" 

Again  dead,  solemn  silence. 

Then  Hi,  who  was  near  the  back,  said,  coming  to  his  partner's  help; 
"What's  the  matter  with  you  trying,  yourself.  Bill?" 

The  red  began  to  come  up  in  Bill's  white  face.  "'Tain't  in  my  line. 
But  the  Pilot  says  ther's  got  to  be  a  prayer,  and  I'm  going  to  stay  with 
the  game." 

Then  leaning  on  the  pulpit,  he  said;  "Let's  pray,"  and  began;  "God 
Almighty,  I  ain't  no  good  at  this,  and  perhaps  you'll  understand  if  I 
don't  put  things  just  right.  What  I  want  to  say  is,  we're  mighty  glad 
about  this  church,  which  we  know  it's  you  and  the  Pilot  that's  worked 
it.  And  we're  all  glad  to  chip  in.  But  about  the  Pilot — I  don't  want 
to  persoom — but  if  you  don't  mind,  we'd  like  to  have  him  stay — in  fact, 
don't  see  how  we  kin  do  without  him — look  at  all  the  boys  here;  he's 
just  getting  his  work  in  and  bringin  'em  right  along,  and,  God  Almight}^, 
if  you  take  him  away  it  might  be  a  good  thing  for  himself,  but  for  us — 
oh,  God,"  the  voice  quivered  and  was  silent.     "Amen." 

Then  someone,  I  think  it  was  the  Lady  Charlotte,  began  "Our 
Father,"  and  all  joined  that  could  join,  to  the  end.    For  a  f-ew  moments, 


206  ORAL  ENGLISH 

Bill  stood  up,  looking  at  them  silently.  Then  as  if  remembering  his 
duty,  he  said;  ''This  here  church  is  open.    Excuse  me." 

He  stood  at  the  door,  gave  a  word  of  direction  to  Hi,  who  had  fol- 
lowed him  out,  and  leaping  on  his  bronco  shook  him  out  into  a  hard 
gallop. 

The  Swan  Creek  Church  was  opened.  The  form  of  service  may  not 
have  been  correct,  but,  if  great  love  counts  for  anything  and  appealing 
faith,  then  all  that  was  necessary  was  done. 

At  the  Pilot's  funeral  a  few  days  later,  his  friends  stood  about  in 
dumb  groups  in  silent  sympathy.  The  officiating  clergyman  during 
his  remarks  said:  ''You  all  know  better  than  I  that  his  work  among  you 
will  not  pass  away  with  his  removal,  but  endure  while  you  five,  and 
now  you  must  not  grudge  him  his  reward  and  his  rest  and  his  home." 

They  laid  the  Pilot  to  rest  out  where  the  canyon  he  loved  so  well 
opened  to  the  sunny,  sloping  prairie.  There  spring  calls  to  the  sleep- 
ing flowers,  summoning  them  forth  in  merry  troops  till  the  canyon 
ripples  with  them.  And  lives  are  like  flowers.  In  dying  they  abide  not 
alone,  but  sow  themselves  and  bloom  again  with  each  returning  Spring. 
For  often  during  the  following  years,  as  here  and  there  I  came  upon 
those  that  companied  with  us  in  those  Foothill  days,  I  would  catch  a 
glimpse  in  word  and  deed  and  look  of  him  we  called,  first  in  jest,  but 
afterward  with  true  and  tender  feeling  we  were  not  ashamed  to  own, 
our  Sky  Pilot. 

THE  SEA 

By  Bryan  Waller  Proctor 

The  sea!  the  sea!  the  open  sea! 

The  blue,  the  fresh,  the  ever  free! 

Without  a  mark,  without  a  bound. 

It  runneth  the  earth's  wide  regions  round; 

It  plays  with  the  clouds;  it  mocks  the  skies; 

Or  like  a  cradled  creature  lies. 

I'm  on  the  sea!    I'm  on  the  seal 
I  am  where  I  would  ever  be; 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  207 

With  the  blue  above,  and  the  blue  below, 
And  silence  wheresoe'er  I  go; 
If  a  storm  should  come  and  awake  the  deep, 
What  matters,  I  shall  ride  and  sleep. 

I  love,  oh,  how  I  love  to  ride 
On  the  fierce,  foaming,  bursting  tide, 
When  every  mad  wave  drowns  the  moon, 
Or,  whistles  aloft  his  tempest  tune, 
And  tells  how  goeth  the  world  below, 
And  why  the  sou'west  blasts  do  blow. 

I  never  was  on  the  dull,  tame  shore, 
But  I  loved  the  great  sea  more  and  more. 
And  backward  flew  to  her  billowy  breast, 
Like  a  bird  that  seeketh  its  mother's  nest; 
And  a  mother  she  was,  and  is,  to  me; 
For  I  was  born  on  the  open  sea. 

The  waves  were  white,  and  red  the  morn, 
In  the  noisy  hour  when  I  was  born; 
And  the  whale  it  whistled,  the  porpoise  rolled, 
And  the  dolphins  bared  their  backs  of  gold; 
And  never  was  heard  such  an  outcry  wild 
As  welcomed  to  life  the  ocean-child ! 

I've  lived  since  then,  in  calm  and  strife. 
Full  fifty  summers,  a  sailor's  life. 
With  wealth  to  spend,  and  power  to  range. 
But  never  have  sought  nor  sighed  for  change; 
And  Death,  whenever  he  comes  to  me. 
Shall  come  on  the  wild,  unbounded  sea! 


208  ORAL  ENGLISH 

SCENE  FROM  "LITTLE  WOMEN*** 

Dramatized  from  Louisa  M.  Alcott's  Story  by  Marion  DeForest 

The  father  of  the  family,  Mr.  March,  who,  clergyman  though  he  was,  had 
joined  the  troops  in  the  war,  has  been  seriously  wounded.  "Marmee" — 
Mrs.  March  at  once  prepares  to  join  him,  but  in  view  of  the  deficit  in  the 
domestic  exchequer,  Aunt  March,  that  irascible,  golden-hearted  old  spinster, 
is  sent  for  to  supply  the  wherewithal  of  travel.  She  appears  with  Meg, 
indignant,  pausing  for  breath  and  complaining  of  rheumatism. 

Aunt  March:  Oh,  my  knee!  Be  careful!  What's  this,  what's  this 
I  hear?  March  sick  in  Washington?  Serves  him  right,  serves  him  right. 
I  always  said  it  was  absurd  for  him  to  go  into  the  army,  and  perhaps 
next  time  he'll  take  my  advice. 

Meg:  Father  did  what  he  thought  was  right.  Aunt  March. 

Mrs.  March:  Won't  you  sit  down.  Aunt  March? 

Aunt  March:  No,  I  won't  sit  down.  A  stronger  man  could  have 
done  more.  Shouldn't  have  gone,  shouldn't  have  gone.  I  knew  he'd 
get  fever  or  something;  never  did  know  how  to  take  care  of  himself  or 
his  money.  You  needn't  be  begging  me  for  help  now  if  he  had.  He'd 
give  his  last  dollar  or  the  shirt  off  his  back  to  the  first  man  who  asked 
him.    Where  would  I  be  now  if  I'd  done  the  same,  I'd  like  to  know? 

Mrs.  March:  I'm  sorry  to  ask  you  for  money.  Aunt  March,  but 
I've  nothing  for  the  railroad  journey. 

Aunt  March:  Of  course  not,  of  course  not.  You're  just  as  bad  as 
he  is,  and  then  expect  me  to  come  to  the  rescue.  You  may  be  willing 
to  end  your  days  in  a  poorhouse,  but  I'm  not.  I'm  a  sick  old  woman, 
and  I  need  all  I've  got. 

Mrs.  March:  The  money  will  be  repaid,  Aunt  March. 

Aunt  March:  Humph!  But  when,  I'd  like  to  know.  Such  waste- 
fulness. {Turns  to  Meg.)  Gallivanting  off  to  Washington  on  a  scare 
telegram.  I  can't  afford  such  trips.-  When  you  see  my  nephew,  ask 
him  what  he  means  by  going  to  the  war,  getting  sick  and  then  asking 
me  to  pull  him  out  of  the  hole.    What  does  he  mean  by  it,  I  say,  what 

^  Quoted  by  permission  of  William  A.  Brady. 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  209 

does  he  mean?  Oh,  oh!  My  knee!  Why  don't  you  ask  me  to  sit  down? 
Where's  Josephine?    She's  the  only  practical  one  in  this  family. 

Meg:  Jo  went  out  to  do  some  errands  for  mother.    Laurie — 

Aunt  March:  Just  as  I  thought.  She  is  probably  gadding  about 
with  that  rattle-pated  boy.    It's  not  proper. 

Mrs.  March:  Jo  is  not  with  Laurie,  Aunt  March. 

Aunt  March:  So  much  the  better.  Oh,  my  knee!  I'll  never  sleep 
to-night.  Tell  Josephine  to  come  and  read  to  me.  I  hope  for  good 
news  of  my  nephew,  but  don't  expect  it.  March  never  had  much 
stamina.  Good  night.  Oh!  Here's  the  twenty-five  you  asked  for, 
and  a  check  for  fifty.    I  know  there  are  plenty  of  bills  to  pay.     (Exit.) 

Meg:  Oh,  Marmee!  I  was  afraid  she  wasn't  going  to  give  it  to  you 
after  all. 

Mrs.  March:  I  was  sure  she  would,  Meg.  She  has  a  kind  heart, 
but  is  ashamed  to  show  it,  and  I  know  she  lo\es  us  all.  {Beth  and  Amy 
come  creeping  down  the  stairs.) 

Beth:  Marmee! 

Amy:  Marmee,  we  were  afraid  to  come  down.  She  was  a  raging 
Vulcan. 

Meg:  Oh,  Amy,  if  you  mean  a  volcano,  why  don't  you  say  so? 

Beth:  She  was  kind  about  the  money,  though!  {Sound  of  someone 
stamping  feet  in  hall.)  That  must  be  Jo.  Lucky  she  missed  Aunt  March. 
{Hands  Mrs.  March  an  old-fashioned  hair  brooch.)  Here's  your  brooch 
with  father's  hair  in  it,  Marmee.    I  thought  you'd  want  to  wear  it. 

Mrs.  March:  Thank  you,  dearie.    {Enter  Jo,  hurriedly.) 

Jo:  Saw  Aunt  March  come  out,  so  I  dodged  through  the  garden. 
I  knew  she  wouldn't  give  us  anything  but  advice,  and  from  her  face  I 
guess  you  got  that  in  large  doses.  Well,  we're  independent  of  her  at 
any  rate,  Marmee,  and —  {putting  roll  of  bills  in  her  mother^ s  lap)  here's 
my  contribution  toward  making  father  comfortable  tod  bringing  him 
home. 

Mrs.  March:  My  dear!  Where  did  you  get  it?  Twenty-five  dol- 
lars?   Jo,  dear,  I  hope  you  haven't  done  anything  rash? 

Jo.:  No,  it's  mine  honestly.  1  didn't  beg,  borrow  or  steal  it,  I  only 
sold  what  was  my  own.  {Takes  off  her  hat,  showing  her  head,  closely 
cropped,  like  a  boy^s.    General  outcry  from  all.) 


210  ORAL  ENGLISH 

Mrs.  March:  Your  hair,  your  beautiful  hair!  {Puts  out  her  arms, 
Jo  drops  on  her  knees,  head  on  mother^ s  lap.  Mrs.  March  kisses  the  shorn 
head.) 

Meg:  Oh,  Jo,  how  could  you? 

Amy:  Your  one  beauty! 

Mrs.  March  :  My  dear,  there  was  no  need  of  this. 

Beth:  She  doesn't  look  like  Jo,  any  more,  but — I  love  her  dearly 
for  it. 

Jo.:  It  doesn't  afifect  the  fate  of  the  nation,  so  don't  wail  about  it, 
Beth.  It  will  be  good  for  my  vanity.  I  was  getting  proud  of  my  wig. 
Besides,  it  will  cool  my  brain.    I'm  satisfied. 

Mrs.  March:  But  I  am  not,  Jo,  I  know  how  willingly  you  sacri- 
ficed your  vanity,  as  you  call  it,  for  your  love;  but,  my  dear,  it  wasn't 
necessary;  Aunt  March  has  helped  us,  and  I'm  afraid  you'll  regret  it 
one  of  these  days. 

Jo.:  Oh,  no,  I  won't. 

Meg:  What  made  you  do  it? 

Jo.:  Well,  I  was  wild  to  do  something  for  father,  and  I'd  have  sold 
the  nose  off  my  face  for  him,  if  anybody  would  have  bought  it.  I've 
seen  tails  of  hair  marked  forty  dollars,  not  nearly  as  thick  as  mine.  It 
was  the  only  thing  I  had  to  sell,  so  I  dashed  into  the  shop  and  asked 
what  they  would  give  for  it. 

Beth:  I  don't  see  how  you  dared! 

Jo.:  Oh,  he  was  a  little  man  who  looked  as  if  he  only  lived  to  oil  his 
hair.  I  told  him  in  my  topsy-turvy  way  what  I  wanted  the  money  for. 
His  wife  said,  ''Take  it,  Thomas,  and  oblige  the  young  lady." 

Amy.    Didn't  you  feel  dreadfully  when  the  first  cut  came? 

Jo.:  Well,  I  did  feel  queer  when  I  saw  the  dear  old  hair  laid  out  on 
.the  table.  The  woman  gave  me  a  little  piece  to  keep.  I'll  give  it  to 
you,  Marmee,  to  remember  past  glories  by. 

Mrs.  March:  Thank  you,  dearie. 

Laurie:  All  ready?  {As  he  enters,  followed  almost  immediately  hy 
Mr.  Laurence  and  Mr.  Brooke.  Catching  sight  of  Joe^s  shorn  head.) 
Jo,  what  the  dickens  have  you  done?  Are  you  trying  to  make  a  porcu* 
pine  of  yourself?    You  look  like — 

Meg:  Hush,  Laurie,  don't  say  anything  now. 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  211 

Mr.  Laurence:  Time  to  go,  madam.  The  conveyance  is  here. 
(The  girls  gather  around  Mrs,  March.  Mr.  Laurence  stands  at  door  look" 
ing  at  his  watch.) 

Mrs.  March:  Children,  I  leave  you  to  Hannah's  care  and  Mr. 
Laurence's  protection.  Don't  grieve  and  fret,  but  go  on  with  your 
work  as  usual.  Hope  and  keep  busy.  Remember  that  you  can  never 
be  fatherless.  Meg,  dear,  be  prudent,  watch  over  your  sisters.  Be 
patient,  Jo,  don't  do  anything  rash  to  get  despondent.  {To  Beth)  Com- 
fort yourself  with  your  music,  dearie.  Amy,  help  all  you  can  and  be 
obedient. 

THE  CASE  OF  FATTY  SIMON  ^ 
By  Jesse  Lynch  Williams 

Did  you  ever  hear  about  the  case  of  big,  fatty  Simon?  He  was  laughed 
at.  They  called  him  Simple  Simon.  He  was  here  in  the  early  days  of 
football,  before  the  Rugby  game  had  spread  all  over  the  country.  He 
weighed  about  two  hundred  and  eighty  pounds,  mostly  fat,  and  I  don't 
suppose  he  had  ever  seen  a  canvas  jacket  until  the  day  he  entered  col- 
lege and  waddled  down  to  the  field  along  with  a  lot  of  other  green  Fresh- 
men to  look  at  the  football  practice. 

It  interested  him.  He  was  so  much  interested  that  he  paid  no  at- 
tention to  the  Sophomores  who  were  guying  him  about  his  fat  and  his 
simplicity.  "I  should  think  that  game  would  be  fun,"  he  said  in  a 
high,  squeaky  voice.  ''I  think  I'll  play,"  he  announced  to  his  class- 
mates. 

''That's  right,"  said  they,  chuckling  at  Simple  Simon;  ''just  your 
game,  old  man." 

"Yes.  You  see  I  can't  play  many  games,"  smiled  Simon  simply, 
trying  to  peep  at  his  boots. 

"Tell  the  captain  you  are  a  candidate,"  said  they  chuckling. 

"Think  I  stand  a  chance?" 

"A  chance?    It's  a  dead  cinch." 

"AU  right,"  said  Simple.    "I  will."    And  he  did. 

*  Reprinted  by  special  arrangement  with  Charles  Scribner's  Sons. 


212  ORAL  ENGLISH 

The  captain  looked  him  over  and  smiled.  ''I  don't  believe  we  have 
any  suit  to  fit  you,"  he  said  kindly,  ''but  you  come  down  to-morrow. 
That's  the  right  spirit." 

The  college  along  the  side  lines  smiled  audibly  the  next  day  when 
Simple  Simon  trotted  out  with  the  other  men,  or  tried  to,  puffing  and 
blowing,  in  a  much-stretched  sweater  and  a  pair  of  breeches  that  had 
been  opened  in  the  rear  to  admit  him.  But  he  was  accustomed  to  being 
a  cause  of  amusement  and  did  not  mind.  They  laughed  louder  still 
when  in  the  first  scrimmage  he  was  toppled  over  like  a  huge  ninepin. 
''Did  you  feel  the  earth  shake?"  asked  the  humorist. 

The  business-like  captain  yelled,  "Line  up,  fellows!"  The  crowd 
roared;  they  saw  Simon  lying  there  on  his  back,  flapping  his  arms  and 
legs  like  an  overturned  turtle.  He  was  not  hurt — simply  too  fat.  The 
next  scrimmage  the  same  thing  happened.  After  that  they  reached 
over  to  pull  him  up  as  a  matter  of  course.  But  with  three  or  four  more 
scrimmages  Simple  Simon  had  to  retire,  winded.  A  group  of  Sopho- 
mores guyed  him  as  he  waddled  past  to  the  field  house. 

"It's  a  good  game,  though,"  he  piped  up  to  the  trainer  as  soon  as  he 
got  breath  enough. 

"Are  you  coming  out  to-morrow?"  he  was  asked  when  he  came  out 
of  the  shower  bath. 

"You  bet!"  said  he. 

Simple  Simon  kept  it  up.  After  the  trainer  had  taken  about  thirty 
pounds  off  him  he  could  last  a  full  half,  and  could  keep  his  feet  for 
several  minutes  at  a  time.  By  and  by  he  learned  to  get  up  alone.  That 
was  a  proud  day.  The  laughing  crowds  along  the  side  lines  cheered 
him. 

"You're  a  perfect  corker.  Simple,"  his  chaffing  classmates  told  him. 

"A  regular  Hector  Cowan,"  said  another.    "You'll  make  the  team 

yet." 

"Aw!  come  off — you're  trying  to  guy  me,  I  believe,"  said  Simple. 
He  thought  himself  quite  sophisticated  by  this  time.  But  he  grinned 
and  kept  on  trying.  "It's  good  sport,  anyway,"  he  said  as  he  wiped 
the  blood  away  from  his  torn  ear. 

The  coaches  smiled  at  his  cheerfulness.  "That  big,  fat  Freshman 
can  give  some  of  you  fellows  points  in  the  way  of  spirit,"  they  said  to 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  213 

the  'Varsity  eleven.  Besides,  it  was  good  practice  for  the  guards,  wield- 
ing such  a  great  weight — like  a  medicine-ball. 

After  two  years  of  this,  most  of  Simon's  fat  was  worn  off  by  the 
trampling,  shoving  and  butting  the  'Varsity  gave  him;  the  rest  was 
turned  into  solid  muscle  by  the  trampling,  shoving  and  butting  he  gave 
the  'Varsity.  Also,  he  was  studying  the  game.  The  crowd  had  stopped 
laughing  at  him.  "That's  all  right,"  they  said,  wagging  their  heads, 
''he's  got  the  right  spirit,  even  if  he  hasn't  got  the  right  shape  for  mak- 
ing the  team." 

In  his  Junior  year  he  was  taken  to  New  York  on  Thanksgiving  Day  as 
a  substitute — with  a  huge  sweater  pulled  down  over  his  hips.  And  in 
his  Senior  year  he  was  on  the  team,  the  champion  football  team  of 
America.  The  fearless  way  he  used  to  charge  down  the  field  like  a 
fighting  elephant  and  smash  those  old-fashioned  wedges — by  flopping 
down  in  front  of  them — is  now  a  matter  of  football  history. 

He  is  the  stout  gentleman  I  pointed  out  to  you  one  day  at  the  club 
with  the  two  gold  football  emblems  on  his  watch-chain.  No,  they  don't 
laugh  at  him  now,  and  his  voice  isn't  high  and  squeaky.  But  it  wasn't 
because  he  had  the  honor,  merely,  of  being  a  member  of  the  team  that 
he  became  a  man  of  force  and  self-reliance,  but  because  he  was  willing 
to  accept  the  bumps  and  thumps  and  discouragements  that  seem  the 
incidental  parts  but  are  really  the  most  important  features  of  the  game — 
and  of  all  athletic  sports,  so  far  as  concerns  the  actual  benefit  to  those 
who  are  playing.  But  if  he  had  let  the  jeers  and  jibes,  which,  after 
all,  were  good-natured  jibes,  drive  him  off  the  football  field  he  might 
have  remained  something  of  a  big,  fat  booby  to  this  day. 

GRIGGSBY'S  STATION  ^ 

From  Afterwhiles.    By  James  Whitcomb  Riley 

Pap's  got  his  patent  right,  and  rich  as  all  creation; 

But  Where's  the  peace  and  comfort  that  we  all  had  before? 
Le's  go  a-visitin'  back  to  Griggsby's  Station — 

Back  where  we  ust  to  be  so  happy  and  so  pore! 

*  Copyright  1887.  Used  by  special  permission  of  the  publishers,  The 
Bobbs-Merrill  Company, 


k 


214  ORAL  ENGLISH 

The  likes  of  us  a-livin'  here!    It's  just  a  mortal  pity 

To  see  us  in  this  great  big  house,  with  cyarpets  on  the  stair, 

And  the  pump  right  in  the  kitchen!    And  the  city!  city!  city! — 
And  nothin'  but  the  city  all  around  us  everywhere! 

Climb  clear  above  the  roof  and  look  from  the  steeple, 
And  never  see  a  robin,  nor  a  beech  or  ellum  tree! 

And  right  here  in  ear-shot  of  at  least  a  thousan'  people, 

And  none  that  neighbors  with  us,  or  we  want  to  go  and  see!  " 

Le's  go  a-visitin'  back  to  Griggsby's  Station — 

Back  where  the  latch-string's  a-hangin'  from  the  door. 

And  ever'  neighbor  'round  the  place  is  dear  as  a  relation — 
Back  where  we  ust  to  be  so  happy  and  so  pore! 

I  want  to  see  the  Wiggenses,  the  whol  kit  and  bilin' 

A-drivin'  up  from  Shallor  Ford  to  stay  the  Sunday  through; 

And  I  want  to  see  'em  hitchin'  at  their  son-in-law's  and  pilin' 
Out  there  at  'Lizy  Ellen's  like  they  ust  to  do! 

I  want  to  see  the  piece-quilts  the  Jones  girls  is  makin'; 

And  I  want  to  pester  Laury  'bout  their  freckled  hired  hand. 
And  joke  her  'bout  the  widower  she  come  purt'  nigh  a-takin', 

Till  her  pap  got  his  pension  'lowed  in  time  to  save  his  land. 

Le's  go  a-visitin'  back  to  Griggsby's  Station — 
Back  where  they's  nothin'  aggravatin'  anymore; 

Shet  away  safe  in  the  woods  around  the  old  location — 
Back  where  we  ust  to  be  so  happy  and  so  pore! 

I  want  to  see  Mirindy  and  he'p  her  with  her  sewin'. 

And  hear  her  talk  so  lovin'  of  her  man  that's  dead  and  gone, 

And  stand  up  with  Emanuel  to  show  me  how  he's  growin'. 
And  smile  as  I  have  saw  her  'fore  she  put  her  mournin'  on. 

And  I  want  to  see  the  Samples,  on  the  old  lower  eighty — 
Where  John  our  oldest  boy,  he  was  tuk  and  buried — for 

His  own  sake  and  Katy's — and  I  want  to  cry  with  Katy 
As  she  reads  all  his  letter's  over,  writ  from  The  War. 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  215 

What's  all  this  grand  life  and  high  situation, 

And  nary  pink  nor  hollyhawk  bloomin'  at  the  door? — 

Le's  go  a-visitin'  back  to  Griggsby's  Station, 
Back  where  we  ust  to  be  so  happy  and  so  pore! 

A  LODGING  FOR  THE  NIGHT 

Abridged  from  New  Akabian  Nights.    By  Robert  Louis  Stevenson 

On  a  stormy  night  in  Paris  in  November,  1456,  Francis  Villon  spent  the 
time  until  very  late  carousing  in  a  den  with  several  thievish  companions. 
The  revel  ended  with  the  murder  of  one  of  the  eompany,  and,  to  avoid 
discovery,  the  others  stealthily  left  the  place.  Villon,  cold  and  hungry, 
wandered  about  seeking  shelter,  but  was  repeatedly  refused.  Finally  he 
approached  a  house  where  he  saw  a  light. 

He  went  boldly  to  the  door  and  knocked.  The  sound  of  his  blows 
echoed  through  the  house,  a  measured  tread  drew  near,  a  couple  of  bolts 
were  withdrawn,  and  one  wing  was  opened  broadly.  A  tall  figure  of  a 
man,  muscular  and  spare,  but  a  little  bent,  confronted  Villon. 

^'You  knock  late,  sir,"  said  the  old  man  in  resonant,  courteous 
tones. 

Villon  cringed,  and  brought  up  many  servile  words  of  apology. 

'^You  are  cold,"  repeated  the  old  man,  '^and  hungry?    Well  step  in." 

*'Some  great  seigneur,"  thought  Villon,  as  his  host  shot  the  bolts 
once  more  into  their  places. 

"You  will  pardon  me  if  I  go  in  front,"  he  said;  and  he  preceded  the 
poet  upstairs  into  a  large  apartment,  warmed  with  a  pan  of  charcoal 
and  ht  by  a  great  lamp  hanging  from  the  roof.  It  was  very  bare  of 
furniture:  only  some  gold  plate  on  the  sideboard;  some  folios;  and  a 
stand  of  armor  between  the  windows. 

"Will  you  seat  yourself,"  said  the  old  man,  "and  forgive  me  if  I 
leave  you?  I  am  alone  in  my  house  to-night,  and  if  you  are  to  eat  I 
must  forage  for  you  myself." 

No  sooner  was  his  host  gone  than  Villon  leaped  up,  and  began  examin- 
ing the  room,  with  the  stealth  and  passion  of  a  cat.  He  weighed  the 
gold  flagons  in  his  hand,  opened  all  the  folios,  and  investigated  the 
arms  upon  the  shield.     "Seven  pieces  of  plate,"  he  said.     "If  there 


216  ORAL  ENGLISH 

had  been  ten,  I  would  have  risked  it."  And  just  then,  hearing  the  old 
man  returning,  he  stole  back  to  his  chair,  and  began  humbly  toasting 
his  wet  legs  before  the  charcoal  pan. 

His  entertainer  had  a  plate  of  meat  in  one  hand  and  a  jug  of  wine 
in  the  other.  He  set  down  the  plate  upon  the  table,  and  going  to  the 
sideboard,  brought  back  two  goblets,  which  he  filled. 

**  I  drink  to  your  better  fortune,'^  he  said,  gravely  touching  Villon's 
cup  with  his  own. 

"  To  our  better  acquaintance,"  said  the  poet,  growing  bold.  Villon 
devoted  himself  to  the  viands  with  a  ravenous  gusto,  while  the  old 
man  watched  him  with  steady,  curious  eyes. 

"  Have  you  any  money?  "  asked  the  old  man. 

'*  I  have  one  white,"  returned  the  poet,  laughing.  *'  I  got  it  out  of 
a  dead  jade's  stocking  in  a  porch.  She  was  as  dead  as  Csesar,  poor 
wench." 

"I,"  said  the  old  man,  "am  Enguerrand  de  la  Feuillee,  seigneur  de 
Brisetout,  bailly  du  Patatrac.    Who  and  whjit  may  you  be?" 

Villon  rose  and  made  a  suitable  reverence.  "I  am  called  Francis 
Villon,"  he  said,  "  a  poor  Master  of  Arts  of  this  university.  I  know  some 
Latin,  and  a  deal  of  vice.  1  can  make  chansons,  ballades  and  roundels, 
and  I  am  very  fond  of  wine.  I  was  born  in  a  garret,  and  I  shall 
not  improbably  die  upon  the  gallows.  I  may  add,  my  lord,  that 
from  this  night  I  am  your  lordship's  very  obsequious  servant  to  com- 
mand." 

"No  servant  of  mine,"  said  the  knight;  "my  guest  for  this  evening, 
and  no  more." 

"A  very  grateful  guest,"  said  Villon  politely. 

"You  are  shrewd,"  began  the  old  man;  "you  have  learning;  you 
are  a  clerk;  and  yet  you  take  a  small  piece  of  money  off  a  dead  woman 
in  the  street.    Is  it  not  a  kind  of  theft?" 

"It  is  a  kind  of  theft  much  practiced  in  the  wars,  my  lord." 

"The  wars  are  the  field  of  honor,"  returned  the  old  man  proudly. 
"There  a  man  plays  his  life  upon  the  cast;  he  fights  in  the  name  of  hia 
lord  the  king,  and  his  Lord  God." 

"Put  it,"  said  Villon,  that  I  were  really  a  thief,  should  I  not  plaj 
my  life  also,  and  against  heavier  odds?" 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  217 

"For  gain,  but  not  for  honor/ ^ 

"Gain?"  repeated  Villon  with  a  shrug.  "Gain!  The  poor  fello\t 
wants  supper,  and  takes  it.  So  does  the  soldier  in  a  campaign.  Why, 
what  are  all  these  requisitions  we  hear  so  much  about?" 

"These  things  are  a  necessity  of  war,  which  the  low-born  must  endure 
with  constancy.  It  is  true  that  some  captains  drive  over  hard;  and 
indeed  many  follow  arms  who  are  no  better  than  brigands." 

"You  see,"  said  the  poet,  "you  cannot  separate  the  soldier  from  the 
brigand.  I  steal  a  coaple  of  mutton  chops,  without  so  much  as  disturb- 
ing people's  sleep.  You  come  up  blowing  gloriously  on  a  trumpet, 
take  away  xhe  whole  sheep,  and  beat  the  farmer  pitifully  into  the  bar- 
gain.   Just  you  ask  the  farmer  which  of  us  he  prefers." 

"Look  at  us  two,"  said  his  lordship.  "I  am  old,  strong,  and  honored. 
If  I  were  turned  from  my  house  to-morrow,  hundreds  would  be  proud 
to  shelter  me.  And  I  find  you  up,  wandering  homeless,  and  picking 
farthings  off  dead  women  by  the  wayside!  I  wait  God's  summons 
contentedly  in  my  own  house.  You  look  for  the  gallows;  a  rough,  swift 
death,  without  hope  or  honor.  Is  there  no  difference  between  these 
two?" 

"As  far  as  to  the  moon,"  Villon  acquiesced.  "But  if  I  had  been 
born  lord  of  Brisetout,  and  you  had  been  the  poor  scholar  Francis 
would  the  difference  have  been  any  the  less?  Should  not  I  have  been 
the  soldier  and  you  the  thief?" 

"A  thief!"  cried  the  old  man.  "I  a  thief!  If  you  understood  your 
words  you  would  repent  them." 

Villon  turned  out  his  hands  with  a  gesture  of  inimitable  impudence. 
"If  your  lordship  had  done  me  the  honor  to  follow  my  argument!" 
he  said. 

"I  do  you  too  much  honor  in  submitting  to  your  presenccj"  said  the 
knight.  "Learn  to  curb  your  tongue  when  you  speak  with  old  and 
honorable  men."  And  he  rose  and  paced  the  apartment,  struggling 
with  anger  and  antipathy.    Villon  surreptitiously  refilled  his  cup. 

"Tell  me  one  thing,"  said  the  old  man,  pausing  in  his  walk.  "Are 
you  really  a  thief?" 

"My  lord,  lam." 

"You  are  very  young,"  the  knight  continued. 


218  ORAL  ENGLISH 

''I  should  never  have  been  so  old,"  replied  Villon,  showing  his  fingers^ 
"if  I  had  not  helped  myself  with  these  ten  talents." 

"You  may  still  repent  and  change." 

"I  repent  daily,"  said  the  poet.  "As  for  change,  let  somebody  change 
my  circumstances." 

"The  change  must  begin  in  the  heart,"  returned  the  old  man 
solemnly. 

"My  dear  lord,"  answered  Villon,  "do  you  really  fancy  I  steal  for 
pleasure?  I  hate  stealing,  like  any  other  piece  of  work  or  of  danger 
My  teeth  chatter  when  I  see  a  gallows.  But  I  must  eat,  I  must  drink; 
I  must  mix  in  society  of  some  sort." 

"Listen  to  me  once  more,"  the  old  man  said  at  length.  "You  speali 
of  food  and  wine,  and  I  know  very  well  that  hunger  is  a  diflficult  trial  to 
endure;  but  you  do  not  speak  of  other  wants;  you  say  nothing  of  honor, 
of  faith  to  God  and  other  men,  of  courtesy,  of  love  without  reproach. 
You  are  attending  to  the  little  wants,  and  you  have  totally  forgotten 
the  great  and  only  real  ones,  like  a  man  who  should  be  doctoring  a 
toothache  on  the  Judgment  Day." 

Villon  was  sensibly  nettled  under  this  sermonising.  "You  think  I 
have  no  sense  of  honor!"  he  cried.  "I  would  have  you  to  know  IVe  an 
honor  of  my  own,  as  good  as  yours,  though  I  don't  prate  about  it  all  day 
long.  Why  now,  look  you  here.  Did  you  not  tell  me  you  were  alone  in 
the  house?  Look  at  your  gold  plate!  You're  strong  if  you  like,  but 
you're  old  and  unarmed,  and  I  have  my  knife.  What  did  I  want  but  a 
jerk  of  the  elbow  and  here  would  have  been  you  with  the  cold  steel  in 
your  bowels,  and  there  would  have  been  me,  linking  in  the  streets,  with 
an  armful  of  gold  cups!  Did  you  suppose  I  hadn't  wit  enough  to  see 
that?  And  I  scorned  the  action.  There  are  your  goblets,  as  safe  as  in 
a  church;  there  you  are  with  your  heart  ticking  as  good  as  new;  and  here 
am  I  ready  to  go  out  again  as  poor  as  when  I  came  in,  with  my  one  white 
that  you  threw  in  my  teeth!" 

The  old  man  stretched  out  his  right  arm.  "  I  will  tell  you  what  you 
are,"  he  said.  "You  are  a  rogue,  my  man,  an  impudent  and  a  black- 
hearted rogue  and  a  vagabond.  I  am  sick  at  your  presence;  the  day 
has  come,  and  the  night  bird  should  be  off  to  roost  Will  you  go  before^ 
or  after?" 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  219 

"Which  you  please,"  returned  the  poet,  rising.  ''I  believe  you  to  be 
strictly  honorable." 

The  old  man  preceded  him  from  a  point  of  self-respect;  Villon  fol- 
lowed, whistling,  with  his  thumbs  in  his  girdle. 

"God  pity  you,''  said  the  lord  of  Brisetout  at  the  door. 

"Good-bye,  papa,"  returned  Villon  with  a  yawn.  "Many  thanks 
for  the  cold  mutton." 

The  door  closed  behind  him.  Villon  stood  and  heartily  stretched 
himself  in  the  middle  of  the  road. 

"A  very  dull  old  gentleman,"  he  thought.  "I  wonder  what  his 
goblets  may  be  worth." 

THE  MAN  WITH  HIS  HAT  IN  HIS  HAND^ 
By  Clark  Howell 

The  Twenty-ninth  Regiment  of  United  States  Volunteers  was  quar- 
tered at  Atlanta,  Georgia.  They  had  just  received  orders  for  their 
trip  of  ten  thousand  miles  to  Manila.  The  troops  were  formed  in  full 
regimental  parade  in  the  presence  of  thousands  of  spectators.  Of  the 
enlisted  men  a  great  percentage  were  from  Georgia,  most  of  them  from 
simple  farmhouses  and  the  quiet  and  unpretentious  hearthstones  which 
abound  in  the  rural  communities. 

A  few  had  seen  service  in  Cuba,  but  most  of  them  had  volunteered 
as  raw  recruits  from  the  farm.  The  men  moved  like  machines.  The 
regiment  of  raw  recruits  had  become  in  a  few  months  a  command  of 
trained  and  disciplined  soldiers. 

Leaning  against  a  tree  was  a  white-haired  mountaineer  who  looked 
with  intent  eyes  and  with  an  expression  of  the  keenest  sympathy  upon 
the  movements  of  the  men  in  uniform.  The  frequent  applause  of  the 
visiting  multitude  fell  apparently  unheard  on  his  ears.  The  regiment 
had  finished  its  evolutions;  the  commissioned  officers  had  lined  them- 
selves to  make  their  regulation  march  to  the  front  for  their  report  and 
dismissal.  The  bugler  had  sounded  the  signal;  the  artillery  had  belched 
its  adieu  as  the  king  of  day  withdrew  beyond  the  hills;  the  halyard  had 
been  grasped,  and  the  flag  slowly  fell,  saluting  the  retiring  sun, 

^  Reprinted  by  permission  of  the  author. 


220  ORAL  ENGLISH 

As  the  flag  started  its  descent,  the  scene  was  characterized  by  a 
solemnity  that  seemed  sacred  in  its  intensity.  From  the  regimental 
band  there  floated  upon  the  stillness  of  the  evening  the  strains  of  ^'The 
Star  Spangled  Banner.''  Instinctively  and  apparently  unconsciously, 
the  old  man  by  the  tree  removed  his  hat  from  his  head  and  held  it  in 
his  hand  in  reverential  recognition  until  the  flag  had  been  furled  and 
the  last  strain  of  the  national  anthem  had  been  lost  in  the  resonant 
tramp  of  the  troops  as  they  left  the  field. 

What  a  picture  that  was — the  man  with  his  hat  in  his  hand,  as 
he  stood  uncovered  during  that  impressive  ceremony!  I  moved  invol- 
untarily toward  him,  and,  impressed  with  his  reverential  attitude,  I  asked 
him  where  he  was  from.  ^' I  am,"  said  he,  " from  Pickens  County : "  and 
in  casual  conversation  it  developed  that  this  raw  mountaineer  had  come  to 
Atlanta  to  say  farewell  to  an  only  son  who  stood  in  the  line  before  him, 
and  upon  whom  his  tear-bedimmed  eyes  might  then  be  resting  for  the  last 
time.  The  silent  exhibition  of  patriotism  and  loyalty  had  been  prompted 
by  a  soul  as  rugged,  but  as  placid  as  the  great  blue  mountains  which 
gave  it  birth. 

There  was  the  connecting  link  between  the  hearthstone  and  the 
capitol!  There  was  the  citizen  who,  representing  the  only  real,  sub- 
stantial element  of  the  nation's  reserve  strength — "the  citizen  standing 
in  the  doorway  of  his  home,  contented  on  his  threshold"  had  an- 
swered his  country's  call — the  man  of  whom  Henry  Grady  so  elo- 
quently said;  "He  shall  save  the  Republic  when  the  drum  tap  is  futile 
and  the  barracks  are  exhausted."  In  him  was  duty  typified,  and  in 
him  slumbered  the  germ  of  sacrifice. 

There  was  that  in  the  spontaneous  action  of  the  man  that  spoke  of 
hardships  to  be  endured  and  dangers  to  be  dared  for  country's  sake;  there 
was  that  in  his  reverential  attitude  that  said,  even  though  the  libation 
of  his  heart's  blood  should  be  required  in  far  off  lands,  his  life  would  be 
laid  down  as  lightly  as  his  hat  was  lifted  to  his  country's  call.  Denied 
by  age  the  privilege  of  sharing  the  hardships  and  the  dangers  of  the 
comrades  of  his  boy,  no  rule  could  regulate  his  patriotic  ardor,  no  limita- 
tion could  restrain  the  instincts  of  his  homage. 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  221 


A  COURT  LADY 

By  Elizabeth  Barrett  Browning 

Her  hair  was  tawny  with  gold;  her  eyes  with  purple  were  dark; 
Her  cheeks'  pale  opal  burnt  with  a  red  and  restless  spark. 

Never  was  a  lady  of  Milan  nobler  in  name  and  in  race; 
Never  was  a  lady  of  Italy  fairer  to  see  in  the  face. 

Never  was  a  lady  on  earth  more  true  as  woman  and  wife, 
Larger  in  judgment  and  instinct,  prouder  in  manners  and  life. 

She  stood  in  the  early  morning,  and  said  to  her  maidens,  "  Bring 
That  silken  robe  made  ready  to  wear  at  the  court  of  the  king. 

"Bring  me  the  clasps  of  diamond,  lucid,  clear  of  the  mote; 
Clasp  me  large  at  the  waist,  and  clasp  me  small  at  the  throat. 

*'  Diamonds  to  fasten  the  hair,  and  diamonds  to  fasten  the  sleeves. 
Laces  to  drop  from  their  rays,  like  a  powder  of  snow  from  the  eaves." 

Gorgeous  she  entered  the  sunlight,  which  gathered  her  up  in  a  flame. 
While,  straight  in  her  open  carriage,  she  to  the  hospital  came. 

In  she  went  at  the  door,  and  gazing  from  end  to  end, 

''Many  and  low"  are  the  pallets;  but  each  is  the  place  of  a  friend.'' 

Up  she  passed  through  the  wards,  and  stood  at  a  young  man's  bed: 
Bloody  the  band  on  his  brow,  and  livid  the  droop  of  his  head. 

"Art  thou  a  Lombard,  my  brother?    Happy  art  thou!"  she  cried. 
And  smiled  like  Italy  on  him:  he  dreamed  in  her  face — and  died. 

Pale  with  his  passing  soul,  she  went  on  still  to  a  second: 

He  was  a  grave  hard  man,  whose  years  by  dungeons  were  reckoned. 

Wounds  in  his  body  were  sore,  wounds  in  his  life  were  sorer, 
"Art  thou  a  Romagnole?"    Her  eyes  drove  lightnings  before  her. 


222  ORAL  ENGLISH 

"Austrian  and  priest  had  joined  to  double  and  tighten  the  cord 
Able  to  bind  thee,  O  strong  one,  free  by  the  stroke  of  a  sword. 

"Now  be  grave  for  the  rest  of  us,  using  the  life  overcast 

To  ripen  our  wine  of  the  present  (too  new)  in  glooms  of  the  past." 

Down  she  stepped  to  a  pallet  where  lay  a  face  like  a  girl's 
Young,  and  pathetic  with  dying, — a  deep  black  hole  in  the  curls. 

"Art  thou  from  Tuscany,  brother?  and  seest  thou,  dreaming  in  pain, 
Thy  mother  stand  in  the  piazza,  searching  the  list  of  the  slain?" 

Kind  as  a  mother  herself,  she  touched  his  cheeks  with  her  hands: 
"Blessed  is  she  who  has  borne  thee,  although  she  would  weep  as  she 
stands." 

On  she  passed  to  a  Frenchman,  his  arm  carried  off  by  a  ball : 
Kneeling,  "O  more  than  my  brother!  how  shall  I  thank  thee  for  all? 

"Each  of  the  heroes  around  us  has  fought  for  his  land  and  line; 
But  thou  hast  fought  for  a  stranger,  in  hate  of  a  wrong  not  thine. 

"Happy  are  all  free  peoples,  too  strong  to  be  dispossest; 

But  blessed  are  those  among  nations  who  dare  to  be  strong  for  the  rest." 

Ever  she  passed  on  her  way,  and  came  to  a  couch  where  pined 
One  with  a  face  from  Venitia,  white  with  a  hope  out  of  mind. 

Long  she  stood  and  gazed,  and  twice  she  tried  at  the  name; 
But  two  great  crystal  tears  were  all  that  faltered  and  came. 

Only  a  tear  for  Venice?    She  turned  as  in  passion  and  loss. 

And  stooped  to  his  forehead  and  kissed  it,  as  if  she  were  kissing  the  cross. 

Faint  with  that  strain  of  heart,  she  moved  on  then  to  another, 
Stern  and  strong  in  his  death.    "And  dost  thou  suffer,  my  brother?" 

Holding  his  hand  in  hers:  "Out  of  the  Piedmont  Hon 

Cometh  the  sweetness  of  freedom!  sweetest  to  live  or  to  die  on." 

Holding  his  cold  rough  hands:  "Well,  oh,  well  have  ye  done 
In  noble,  noble  Piedmont,  who  would  not  be  noble  alone." 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  223 

Back  he  fell  while  she  spoke.    She  rose  to  her  feet  with  a  spring, 
"That  was  a  Piedmontese!  and  this  is  the  court  of  the  King." 

SELF-ASSERTION  IN  SPEECH 
From  his  Autobiography.     By  Benjamin  Franklin 

My  list  of  virtues  contained  at  first  but  twelve;  but  a  Quaker  friend 
of  mine  having  kindly  informed  me  that  I  was  generally  thought  proud; 
that  my  pride  showed  itself  frequently  in  conversation;  that  I  was  not 
content  with  being  in  the  right  when  discussing  any  point,  but  was 
overbearing,  and  rather  insolent,  of  which  he  convinced  me  by  men- 
tioning several  instances;  I  determined  endeavoring  to  cure  myself, 
if  I  could,  of  this  vice  or  folly  among  the  rest,  and  I  added  Humility  to 
my  list,  giving  an  extensive  meaning  to  the  word. 

I  cannot  boast  of  much  success  in  acquiring  the  reality  of  this  virtue, 
but  I  had  a  good  deal  with  regard  to  the  appearance  of  it.  I  made  it  a 
rule  to  forbear  all  direct  contradictions  to  the  sentiments  of  others,  and 
all  positive  assertions  of  my  own.  I  even  forbid  myself,  agreeably  to 
the  old  laws  of  our  Junto,  the  use  of  every  word  or  expression  in  the 
language  that  imported  a  fixed  opinion,  such  as  certainly,  undoubtedly, 
etc.,  and  I  adopted,  instead  of  them,  /  conceive,  I  apprehend,  or  /  ima- 
gine a  thing  to  be  so  or  so;  or  so  it  appears^  to  me  at  present. 

When  another  asserted  something  that  I  thought  an  error,  I  denied 
myself  the  pleasure  of  contradicting  him  abruptly,  and  of  showing  im- 
mediately some  absurdity  in  his  proposition;  and  in  answering  I  began 
by  observing  that  in  certain  cases  or  circumstances  his  opinion  would 
be  right,  but  in  the  present  case  there  appeared  or  seemed  to  me  some 
difference,  etc. 

I  soon  found  the  advantage  of  this  change  in  my  manner;  the  con- 
versation I  engaged  in  went  on  more  pleasantly.  The  modest  way  in 
which  I  proposed  my  opinions  procured  them  a  readier  reception  and 
less  contradiction;  I  had  less  mortification  when  I  was  found  to  be  in  the 
wrong,  and  I  more  easily  prevailed  with  others  to  give  up  their  mis- 
takes and  join  with  me  when  I  happened  to  be  in  the  right. 

And  this  mode,  which  I  at  first  put  on  with  some  violence  to  natural 
inclination,  became  at  length  so  easy,  and  so  habitual  to  me,  that  per- 


224  ORAL  ENGLISH 

haps  for  these  fifty  years  past  no  one  has  ever  heard  a  dogmatic  expres- 
sion escape  me.  And  to  this  habit  (after  my  character  of  integrity) 
I  think  it  principally  owing  that  I  had  early  so  much  weight  with  my 
fellow-citizens  when  I  proposed  new  institutions,  or  alterations  in  the 
old,  and  so  much  influence  in  the  public  councils  when  I  became  a 
member;  for  I  was  but  a  bad  speaker,  never  eloquent,  subject  to  much 
hesitation  in  my  choice  of  words,  hardly  correct  in  language,  and  yet 
I  generally  carried  my  points. 

SECOND  FIDDLE  ^ 
From  Message  and  Melody.     By  Richard  Burton 

Just  behind  the  first  fiddle  he  bends 

To  his  bow,  as  a  slave  to  the  rod; 
All  his  soul  to  the  music  he  lends, 

All  his  eyes  to  the  leader,  his  god. 

His  skill  is  not  blaring,  but  sure; 

Mark  his  bowing,  the  rhythmic  accord 
Of  his  motions,  the  sound,  crystal-pure, 

That  he  lures  from  the  violin's  board. 

The  crowd  never  look  at  his  face; 

He  is  one  of  the  sixty  who  try 
With  wood-wind  or  brass  to  displace 

The  world  by  a  dream  from  the  sky. 

Not  his,  like  the  master  of  strings, 

To  step  forth  superbly  alone 
And  play  a  Cremona  that  sings 

With  heavenliest  tone  upon  tone. 

No  soloist  he,  but  a  part 

In  the  mighty  ensemble  that  soars 
In  regions  divine  of  an  art 

Where  man  but  aspires  and  adores. 

^  Reprinted  by  permission  of  the  author  and  the  publishers,  Lothrop,  Lee 
and  Shepard. 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  225 

His  joy  is  the  gladness  of  those 

Who  feel  they  are  helping  the  whole; 
Less  fluent  the  harmony  flows 

If  an  instrument  flag,  if  a  soul 

Unfaithful  should  be  to  the  beat 

Of  the  baton  that  bids  him  be  true; 
And  the  music  is  oft  times  so  sweet, 

Small  matter  what  makes  it,  or  who. 

And  haply — who  knows? — in  the  day 

When  the  ultimate  piece  is  rehearsed, 
Shall  come  his  Great  Moment  to  play, 

And  the  fiddle  called  second,  be  first. 

LINCOLN,  THE  MAN  OF  THE  PEOPLE  ^ 

By  Edwin  Markham 

When  the  Norn  Mother  saw  the  Whirlwind  Hour 
Greatening  and  darkening  as  it  hurried  on, 
She  left  the  Heaven  of  Heroes  and  came  down 
To  make  a  man  to  meet  the  mortal  need. 
She  took  the  tried  clay  of  the  common  road — 
Clay  warm  yet  with  the  genial  heat  of  Earth, 
Dashed  through  it  all  a  strain  of  prophecy; 
Tempered  the  heat  with  thrill  of  human  tears; 
Then  mixed  a  laughter  with  the  serious  stuff. 
Into  the  shape  she  breathed  a  flame  to  Hght 
That  tender,  tragic,  ever-changing  face. 
Here  was  a  man  to  hold  against  the  world, 
A  man  to  match  the  mountains  and  the  sea. 

The  color  of  the  ground  was  in  him,  the  red  earth; 

The  smack  and  tang  of  elemental  things; 

The  rectitude  and  patience  of  the  cliff; 

The  good  will  of  the  rain  that  loves  all  leaves; 

^Reprinted  by  the  permission  of  the  author. 


226  ORAL  ENGLISH 

The  friendly  welcome  of  the  wayside  well; 
The  courage  of  the  bird  that  dares  the  sea; 
The  gladness  of  the  wind  that  shakes  the  com; 
The  pity  of  the  snow  that  hides  all  scars; 
The  secrecy  of  streams  that  make  their  way 
Beneath  the  mountain  to  the  rifted  rock; 
The  tolerance  and  equity  of  light 
That  gives  as  freely  to  the  shrinking  flower 
As  to  the  great  oak  flaring  to  the  wind — 
To  the  grave's  low  hill  as  to  the  Matterhorn 
That  shoulders  out  the  sky. 

Sprung  from  the  West 
The  strength  of  virgin  forests  braced  his  mind, 
The  hush  of  spacious  prairies  stilled  his  soul. 
Up  from  log  cabin  to  the  Capitol, 
One  fire  was  on  his  spirit,  one  resolve — 
To  send  the  keen  ax  to  the  root  of  wrong, 
Clearing  a  free  way  for  the  feet  of  God. 
And  evermore  he  burned  to  do  his  deed 
With  the  fine  stroke  and  gesture  of  a  king; 
He  built  the  rail-pile  as  he  built  the  State, 
Pouring  his  splendid  strength  through  every  blow, 
The  conscience  of  him  testing  every  stroke. 
To  make  his  deed  the  measure  of  a  man. 

So  came  the  Captain  with  the  mighty  heart; 
And  when  the  judgment  thunders  split  the  house, 
Wrenching  the  rafters  from  their  ancient  rest. 
He  held  the  ridgepole  up,  and  spiked  again 
The  rafters  of  the  Home.    He  held  his  place — 
Held  the  long  purpose  like  a  growing  tree — 
Held  on  through  blame  and  faltered  not  at  praise. 
And  when  he  fell  in  whirlwind,  he  went  down 
As  when  a  lordly  cedar,  green  with  boughs. 
Goes  down  with  a  great  shout  upon  the  hills, 
And  leaves  a  lonesome  place  against  the  sky. 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  227 


THE  STORY  OF  PHILIP  NOLAN 

A^bridged  from  The  Man  Without  a  Country.     By  Edward  Everett 

Hale 

Philip  Nolan  was  as  fine  a  young  officer  as  there  was  in  the  ''Legion 
of  the  West."  When  Aaron  Burr  made  his  first  dashing  expedition 
down  to  New  Orleans,  he  met  this  gay,  bright  young  fellow  at  a  dinner 
party.  Burr  marked  him,  talked  to  him,  walked  with  him  and,  in  short, 
fascinated  him.  And  when  the  wily  traitor  left  the  place,  he  had  lured 
Nolan  to  his  side. 

Soon  a  grand  catastrophe  came  in  the  great  treason-trial  at  Rich- 
mond. One  and  another  of  the  colonels  and  majors  were  tried,  and  to 
fill  out  the  list,  little  Nolan,  against  whom  there  was  evidence  enough, 
— that  he  was  sick  of  the  service,  had  been  willing  to  be  false  to  it,  and 
would  have  obeyed  an  order  to  march  anywhere,  had  the  order  been 
signed  '*By  command  of  His  Excellency,  Aaron  Burr." 

When  the  president  of  the  court  asked  Nolan  whether  he  wished  to 
say  anything  to  show  that  he  had  always  been  faithful  to  the  United 
States,  he  cried  out  in  a  fit  of  frenzy, — 

''Damn  the  United  States!  I  wish  I  may  never  hear  of  the  United 
States  again!" 

He  did  not  know  how  the  words  shocked  the  old  judge  who  called 
the  court  into  his  private  room,  and  returned  in  fifteen  minutes,  with 
a  face  as  white  as  a  sheet  to  say, — 

"Prisoner,  hear  the  sentence  of  the  court!  The  court  decides,  sub- 
ject to  the  approval  of  the  President,  that  you  never  hear  the  name  of 
the  United  States  again." 

Nolan  laughed.  But  nobody  else  laughed.  The  judge  was  too  solemn, 
and  the  whole  room  was  hushed  dead  as  night. 

"Mr.  Marshal,"  the  judge  continued,  "take  the  prisoner  to  Orleans, 
and  deliver  him  to  the  naval  commander  there.  Make  my  respects  to 
him,  and  say  that  the  prisoner  is  to  be  placed  on  board  one  of  the  ships 
where  he  is  to  be  provided  with  such  quarters,  rations  and  clothing  as 
would  be  proper  for  an  officer  of  his  late  rank,  if  he  were  a  passenger 
on  the  vessel  on  the  business  of  his  Government.    He  is  never  unneces- 


228  ORAL  ENGLISH 

sarily  to  be  reminded  that  he  is  a  prisoner.    But  under  no  circumstancei 
is  he  ever  to  hear  of  his  country,  or  to  see  any  information  regarding  it." 

Accordingly  Nolan  was  put  on  board  a  government  vessel  bound  on  a 
long  cruise.  Here  no  company  liked  to  have  him  with  them,  because 
his  presence  cut  off  all  talk  of  home,  of  politics  or  letters,  of  peace  or 
of  war.  But  it  was  always  thought  too  hard  that  he  should  never  meet 
the  rest  of  us,  except  to  touch  hats,  and  we  finally  submitted. 

As  he  was  almost  never  permitted  to  go  on  shore,  even  though  the 
vessel  lay  in  port  for  months,  his  time  at  the  best  hung  heavy.  Every- 
body was  permitted  to  lend  him  books,  if  they  were  not  published  in 
America,  and  made  no  allusions  to  it.  He  had  the  foreign  papers  that 
came  into  the  ship,  only  somebody  must  go  over  them  first,  and  cut  out 
any  advertisements  or  stray  paragraphs  that  alluded  to  America. 

One  of  the  officers  had  a  lot  of  English  books  among  which  was  the 
"Lay  of  the  Last  Minstrel.'^  Well,  nobody  thought  there  could  be 
any  risk  of  anything  national  in  that,  so  Nolan  was  permitted  to  join 
our  circle  one  afternoon  when  a  lot  of  us  sat  on  deck  reading  aloud.  In 
his  turn  Nolan  took  the  book,  and  read  without  a  thought  of  what  was 
coming, — 

''Breathes  there  the  man,  with  soul  so  dead, 
Who  never  to  himself  hath  said. 
This  is  my  own,  my  native  land!'' 

We  all  saw  something  was  to  pay;  but  Nolan  expected  to  get  through, 
I  suppose,  and  plunged  on, — 

"Whose  heart  hath  ne'er  within  him  burned, 
As  home  his  footsteps  he  hath  turned 
From  wandering  on  a  foreign  strand!" 

By  this  time  the  men  were  all  beside  themselves,  wishing  there  was 
any  way  to  make  him  turn  over  two  pages;  but  he  had  not  quite  presence 
of  mind  for  that,  and  staggered  on, — 

"The  wretch,  concenterd  all  in  self — " 

Here  the  poor  fellow  choked,  could  not  go  on,  but  starting  up,  swung 
the  book  into  the  sea,  and  vanished  into  his  state-room. 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  229 

We  did  not  see  him  again  for  two  months,  and  he  was  not  the  same 
man  afterward.  He  never  read  aloud  again,  unless  it  was  the  Bible  or 
Shakespeare,  or  something  else  he  was  sure  of.  He  was  always  sh5 
now,  and  had  the  nervous,  tired  look  of  a  heart- wounded  man. 

When  we  were  nearly  home  we  met  an  outward  bound  vessel  which 
took  poor  Nolan  and  his  traps  on  board  to  begin  his  second  cruise. 
There  was  no  going  home  for  him,  even  to  a  prison.  And  this  was  the 
first  of  some  twenty  such  transfers,  which  kept  him  all  his  life  at  least 
some  hundred  miles  from  the  country  he  had  hoped  he  might  never 
hear  of  again. 

One  day  we  overhauled  a  little  schooner  which  had  slaves  on  board. 
The  officer  who  boarded  the  boat  sent  back  for  someone  who  could 
speak  Portuguese.  Nolan  said  he  would  interpret  if  the  captain  wished, 
and  was  sent.  ^'Tell  them  they  are  free,"  said  Vaughn,  the  officer  in 
charge.  When  this  was  told  them,  there  was  a  yell  of  delight,  leaping 
and  dancing.  "Tell  them  that  I  will  take  them  all  to  Cape  Palmas." 
This  did  not  answer  so  well.  Cape  Palmas  was  so  distant,  that  they 
would  be  eternally  separated  from  home  there.  Their  wild  delight 
changed  to  a  howl  of  dismay. 

Vaughn  was  disappointed,  and  asked  Nolan  eagerly  what  they  said. 
The  drops  stood  out  on  poor  Nolan's  white  forehead,  as  he  hushed  the 
men  and  said, — 

"They  say,  'Not  Palmas,'  they  say,  Hake  us  home;  take  us  to  our 
own  country;  take  us  to  our  own  house.'  One  says  he  has  an  old  father 
and  mother  who  will  die  if  they  do  not  see  him.  And  this  one  says  he 
was  caught  in  the  bay  just  in  sight  of  home,  and  that  he  has  never  seen 
anybody  from  home  since.  And  this  one  that  he  has  not  heard  a  word 
from  home  in  six  months." 

Even  the  slaves  stopped  howling,  as  they  saw  Nolan's  agony,  and 
Vaughn's  almost  equal  agony  of  sympathy.  As  quick  as  he  could  get 
the  words,  Vaughn  said, — 

"Tell  them  yes,  yes,  yes;  tell  them  they  shall  go  to  the  mountains 
of  the  moon,  if  they  will.  If  I  have  to  sail  the  schooner  through  the 
Great  White  Desert,  they  shall  go  home!" 

On  his  way  back  to  the  ship  Nolan  said  to  the  youth  with  him, 
"Youngster,  let  that  show  you  what  it  is  to  be  without  a  home,  and 


230  ORAL  ENGLISH 

without  a  country.  Oh,  for  your  country,  boy,  and  for  that  flag,  nevei 
dream  a  dream  but  of  serving  her  as  she  bids  you.  No  matter  what 
happens  to  you,  who  flatters  or  abuses  you,  never  look  at  another  flag, 
never  let  a  night  pass  but  you  pray  God  to  bless  that  flag.  You  belong 
to  your  Country  as  you  belong  to  your  own  mother.  Stand  by  her,  as 
you  would  stand  by  your  mother.  Oh!  if  anybody  had  said  so  to  me 
when  I  was  your  age !  '^ 

This  was  thirty-five  years  after  his  banishment.  In  the  next  fifteen 
years  he  aged  very  fast,  but  he  was  still  the  same  gentle,  uncomplain- 
ing sufferer,  that  he  ever  was,  bearing  as  best  he  could  his  self-appointed 
punishment.  One  morning  he  was  not  so  well,  and  sent  for  me  to  come 
to  his  state-room.  I  could  not  help  a  glance  round,  which  showed  me 
what  a  little  shrine  he  had  made  of  the  box  he  was  lying  in.  The  stars 
and  stripes  were  triced  up  above  and  around  a  picture  of  Washington. 
The  dear  old  boy  saw  my  glance,  and  said,  "Here  you  see  I  have  a 
country!'^  And  he  pointed  to  a  great  map  of  the  United  States,  as  he 
had  drawn  it  from  memory. 

''Oh,  Danforth,'^  he  said,  "I  know  I  am  dying,  I  cannot  get  home. 
Surely  you  will  tell  me  something  now?  Stop!  Stop!  Do  not  speak  till 
I  say  what  I  am  sure  you  know,  that  there  is  not  in  this  ship,  that  there 
is  not  in  America — God  bless  her! — a  more  loyal  man  than  I.  There 
cannot  be  a  man  who  loves  the  old  flag,  or  prays  for  it,  or  hopes  for  it 
as  I  do.  Oh,  Danforth,  how  like  a  wretched  night's  dream  when  one 
looks  back  on  such  a  life  as  mine!  But  tell  me, — tell  me  something, — 
tell  me  everything,  Danforth,  before  I  die!" 

I  felt  like  a  monster  that  I  had  not  told  him  everything  before.  Dan- 
ger or  no  danger,  who  was  I,  that  I  should  have  been  acting  the  tyrant 
all  this  time  over  this  dear,  sainted  old  man,  who  had  years  ago  expiated, 
in  his  whole  manhood's  life  the  madness  of  a  boy's  treason? 

''Nolan,"  said  I,  "I  will  tell  you  everything  you  ask  about." 

Oh,  the  blessed  smile  that  crept  over  his  white  face!  and  he  pressed 
my  hand,  and  said,  "God  bless  you!" 

I  did  as  well  as  I  could,  but  it  was  a  hard  thing  to  condense  the  his- 
tory of  half  a  century  into  that  talk  with  a  sick  man.  I  told  him  every- 
thing I  could  think  of  that  would  show  the  grandeur  of  his  country  and 
its  prosperity,  and  he  drank  it  in  and  enjoyed  it  as  I  cannot  tell  you. 


I 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  231 

And  then  he  said  he  would  go  to  sleep.  He  bent  me  down  over  him,  and 
kissed  me;  and  he  said,  ''Look  in  my  Bible,  Danforth,  when  I  am  gone." 
And  I  went  away. 

But  I  had  no  thought  it  was  the  end.  I  thought  he  was  tired  and  would 
sleep.  But  in  an  hour,  when  the  Doctor  went  in  gently,  he  found 
Nolan  had  breathed  his  life  away  with  a  smile.  We  looked  in  his  Bible, 
and  there  was  a  slip  of  paper  in  the  place  where  he  had  marked  the 
text : — 

''They  desire  a  country,  even  a  heavenly:  wherefore  God  is  not 
ashamed  to  be  called  their  God:  for  he  hath  prepared  for  them  a  city." 

On  the  slip  of  paper  he  had  written, — 

"Bury  me  in  the  sea;  it  has  been  my  home,  and  I  love  it.  But  will 
not  some  one  set  up  a  stone  for  my  memory,  that  my  disgrace  may  not 
be  more  than  I  ought  to  bear?    Say  on  it, — 

In  memory  of 

PHILIP  NOLAN 

Lieutenant  in  the  Army  of  the  United  States 

He  loved  his  country  as  no  other  man  has  loved  her;  but  no  man  de- 
served less  at  her  hands." 


THE  PATH  TO  PEACE  ^ 
By  William  H.  Taft 

I  am  strongly  convinced  that  the  best  method  of  ultimately  securing 
disarmament  is  the  establishment  of  an  international  court  and  the 
development  of  a  code  of  international  equity  which  nations  will  recog- 
nize as  affording  a  better  method  of  settling  international  controversies 
than  war.  We  must  have  some  method  of  settling  issues  between  na- 
tions, and  if  we  do  not  have  arbitration,  we  shall  have  war. 

What  teaches  nations  and  people  the  possibility  of  permanent  peace 
is  the  actual  settlement  of  controversies  by  courts  of  arbitration.  The 
settlement  of  the  Alabama  controversy  by  the  Geneva  arbitration, 

^  Reprinted  by  permission  of  the  author. 


232  ORAL  ENGLISH 

the  settlement  of  the  Seals  controversy  by  the  Paris  Tribunal,  the  settlet 
ment  of  the  Newfoundland  Fisheries  controversy  by  The  Hague  Tri- 
bunal are  three  great  substantial  steps  toward  permanent  peace,  three 
facts  accomplished  that  have  done  more  for  the  cause  than  anything 
else  in  history. 

If  now  we  can  negotiate  and  put  through  a  positive  agreement  with 
some  great  nation  to  abide  by  the  adjudication  of  an  international 
arbitral  court  in  every  issue  which  can  not  be  settled  by  negotiation, 
no  matter  what  it  involves,  whether  honor,  or  territory,  or  money,  we 
shall  have  made  a  long  step  forward  by  demonstrating  that  it  is  possible 
for  two  nations  at  least  to  establish  as  between  them  the  same  system 
of  due  process  of  law  that  exists  between  individuals  under  a  govern- 
ment. 

LOYALTY  1 

From  The  Contagion  of  Character.     By  Newell  Dwight  Hillis 

''The  great  thing  is  loyalty,'^  said  the  English  commander  in  his 
address  to  the  young  men  of  Oxford.  ''Write  the  word  in  golden  ink 
and  let  each  letter  be  two  feet  high."  Experience  fully  justifies  the  high 
estimate  placed  upon  this  virtue.  Disloyalty  turns  a  soldier  into  a 
traitor;  disloyalty  in  the  partnership  will  ruin  the  commercial  stand- 
ing of  the  house;  disloyalty  on  the  part  of  the  clerk  can  defeat  the 
wisest  plans  of  the  chief.  One  word  will  explain  many  failures — the  word 
disloyalty. 

Contrariwise,  what  enterprise  ever  failed  where  the  man  in  charge 
had  loyal  followers,  who  backed  him  at  every  point.  "Don't  praise 
me!"  exclaimed  President  McKinley  to  a  group  of  gentlemen  congratu- 
lating him  upon  his  first  four  years,  "praise  my  Cabinet."  The  suc- 
cessful leader  meant  that  he  had  been  surrounded  by  loyal  counsellors. 
But  the  modest,  unassuming  president  was  himself  a  notable  illustra- 
tion of  our  theme — he  was  loyal.  On  his  tomb,  after  all  the  thunder  of 
life's  battle,  should  be  written  these  words:  "He  was  faithful  unto 
Death." 

^  Copyright  1 9 1 1 ,  by  Fleming  H.  Revell  Co.  Must  not  be  reprinted  without 
permission. 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  233 

Above  all  other  eras  our  age  asks  for  loyal  men.  In  the  old  regime 
business  was  individual.  One  man  had  a  little  shoe  shop,  one  sold 
groceries,  another  sold  dry  goods,  and  for  the  hundred  articles  there 
were  a  hundred  shops.  Then  came  the  era  of  organization.  Each  man 
no  longer  complete  himself,  became  a  wheel  in  an  industrial  mechanism 
that  had  a  hundred  parts.  So  complicated  is  a  watch  that  if  any  one 
wheel  is  unfaithful  to  its  work  the  whole  watch  is  ruined  for  purposes 
of  time.  Not  otherwise  to-day — a  great  factory,  a  great  store,  a  great 
bank,  a  great  newspaper,  a  government  of  city  or  state,  means  severaJ 
hundred  men,  working  under  one  leader,  and  the  success  of  all  is  through 
the  loyalty  of  each  one. 

Only  as  the  workers  go  towards  loyalty  does  the  enterprise  go  towards 
prosperity.  That  is  why  our  late  war  was  followed  by  a  great  industrial 
development.  After  Appomattox  a  milHon  men  returned  home.  Sud- 
denly a  new  spirit  developed  in  the  country.  Men  began  to  plan  large 
things.  Railroads  across  the  continent  were  conceived  and  built.  Vast 
factories  were  erected.  Men  united  their  earnings  and  organized  great 
banks  and  great  stores.  What  was  the  explanation?  Simply  this — the 
experience  of  war  had  taught  men  loyalty  to  a  leader. 

On  the  day  of  the  battle  of  Gettysburg  every  soldier  in  a  wing  of  one 
hundred  thousand  men  received  his  command  and  fulfilled  his  task. 
'' Theirs  not  to  reason  why;  theirs  but  to  do  and  die."  For  these  sol- 
diers the  great  word  was  loyalty  to  their  general.  With  that  watch- 
word they  marched  to  success.  Later,  returning  to  the  business  life, 
the  soldiers  began  to  work  in  industrial  regiments.  Again  they  were 
loyal  to  the  leader,  whether  he  was  merchant  or  manufacturer  or  editor 
or  statesman. 

Men  of  achievement  crown  loyalty  as  one  of  the  first  of  the  virtues. 
Charity  must  be  a  divine  gift  indeed  if  it  is  greater  than  faithfulness. 
The  soldier's  worth  is  in  his  adherence  to  duty.  The  test  of  a  jurist  is 
loyalty  to  his  client.  The  test  of  a  pupil  is  loyalty  to  his  master.  The 
two  great  books  in  ancient  literature  are  the  ''Iliad"  and  the  ''Odyssey." 
The  "Iliad"  exposes  the  fickleness  and  disloyalty  of  beautiful  Helen, 
whose  infidelity  turned  a  city  into  a  heap.  The  "Odyssey"  celebrates 
the  loyalty  of  Penelope,  who  kept  her  palace  and  her  heart. 

Young  man,  scorn  the  very  thought  of  disloyalty  to  your  employer, 


234  ORAL  ENGLISH 

If  you  can't  work  with  him,  resign.  But  flee  the  very  thought  of  dis« 
loyalty  as  you  would  flee  from  the  edge  of  the  precipice.  Disloyalty 
belongs  to  the  serpent  that  bites,  the  wolf  that  rends,  the  Uon  that 
slays.  To  be  disloyal  is  to  join  hands  with  the  devil  himself.  Pride 
yourself  on  your  loyalty.  Learn  to  follow,  that  you  may  be  worthy 
to  lead.  Life  may  bring  you  gold,  office  and  honor,  but  it  will  bring 
you  nothing  comparable  to  the  happiness  that  comes  from  the  conscious- 
ness of  having  been  loyal  to  your  ideals.  And  when  it  is  all  over,  let 
this  be  men's  judgment  upon  you:  ^'He  was  faithful  unto  death." 

SAID  ABDALLAH  ^ 

From  My  Quest  of  the  Arabian  Horse.    By  Homer  Davenport 

Said  Abdallah,  my  Bedouin  groom  boy,  constantly  asserted  all  through 
the  voyage  from  Alexandretta  that  Allah  was  with  us  and  would  bring 
us  in  safety  to  the  end.  His  faith  had  helped  us  out  of  the  dumps  in 
Naples  and  his  devotion  to  us  and  to  the  horses  should  not  go  unre- 
membered.  When  Akmet  Haffez,  the  prince  of  the  Bedouins,  pre- 
sented to  me  Wadduda,  the  war  mare,  Said  came  with  the  gift  and  ever 
after  counted  himself  as  one  of  my  family. 

To  guard  him  against  fits  of  homesickness  or  melancholia,  before 
he  had  learned  to  speak  any  EngHsh,  I  often  took  him  with  me,  es- 
pecially when  I  took  my  own  children  to  shows  and  circuses.  He  had 
never  seen  even  a  street  fakir  in  his  own  country. 

One  day,  accompanied  by  an  interpreter,  he  went  to  the  Horse  Show, 
and  saw  there  for  the  first  time,  a  good  team  of  high-acting  horses,  a 
pair  that  almost  bumped  their  chins  with  their  knees.  He  held  up  his 
hands  in  horror  as  he  exclaimed  ''Mashalla!  Mashalla!  Is  there  truly  a 
race  of  horses  that  go  up  and  down  in  the  same  place?" 

When  told  that  what  he  saw  was  the  result  of  training  and  artificial 
breeding,  and  that  the  horse  himself  was  not  to  blame,  he  uttered  an 
exclamation  of  pity.  Then  he  said  suddenly:  ''No,"  and  pointed  above 
him;  "the  desert  isn't  up  there,  but  always  in  front  of  you;  God  made 
a  horse  to  get  over  it  with  the  least  effort,  not  the  most."    I  have  no 

^  Reprinted  by  permission  of  William  Rickey  and  Company. 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  235 

comment  to  make  on  these  remarks  of  Said.  I  do  not  think  any  are 
necessary. 

Said  is  as  fine  an  example  of  faithfulness  as  could  be  found.  After 
he  had  been  in  this  country  nearly  a  year,  and  had  beaten  off  many 
attacks  of  blues,  Dr.  Frank  Hoskins  of  the  American  Mission  at  Bey- 
rout,  Syria,  came  to  the  farm  to  see  the  horses,  and  talked  with  the 
boy  who  had  been  with  the  Anezeh.  Reaching  home  in  the  evening, 
I  was  informed  that  ever  since  Dr.  Hoskins  had  taken  his  departure, 
Said  had  been  crying.  I  went  to  the  barn  to  see  him  and  he  came  smil- 
ingly from  one  of  the  dark  corners.  I  asked  him  if  he  enjoyed  his  talk 
with  the  visitor  and  he  said  he  had,  for  he  had  spoken  Arabic  as  if  he 
were  at  home. 

''Said,"  I  said  at  last,  ''you  have  been  crying.'^ 

"What  cry,  Mr.  Davenport?" 

"Your  eyes,"  I  answered,  "are  almost  swollen  shut  with  weeping." 

His  head  dropped  and  his  chest  began  to  rise  and  fall.  After  a  mo- 
ment or  two  he  said: 

"  Mr.  Davenport,  before  Allah,  my  heart  no  mad." 

Then  he  broke  out  and  exclaimed  that  at  night  when  he  shut  his  eyes 
his  thoughts  took  him  to  the  Anezeh,  and  he  joined  the  tribes  as  they 
swing  to  the  south.  Now  they  are  past  Deyr,  and  approaching  Nejd 
they  get  into  war  with  the  Shammar!  Then  he  wakes  up  and  finds  that 
he  is  not  in  the  desert,  but  in  Morris  Plains.  He  turns  on  the  other 
side  and  sleeps;  and  by  and  by  his  brain  goes  to  Aleppo  and  when  he 
meets  his  once  great  master,  Akmet  Haffez,  he  grasps  him  by  the  hand. 
Again  he  wakes  up,  and  he  is  still  in  Morris  Plains. 

"But,  Mr.  Davenport,"  he  added  bravely,  "Allah  knows  my  heart 
no  mad." 

"Well,"  I  said,  "Said,  I  am  going  to  send  you  back  to  the  desert." 

"Said  go  desert?" 

He  broke  down  with  hysterical  laughter,  and  grasping  me  by  the 
hands  commenced  to  kiss  them,  and  tell  me  that  I  was  too  good  to  stay 
in  this  country,  that  I  ought  to  live  with  my  brother  in  the  desert. 

"Mr.  Davenport,  Said  go  desert  two  or  three  months?" 

"No,  Said,  in  two  or  three  weeks.  I  will  find  a  ship,  if  I  can,  that 
will  take  you  direct  to  Iscanderoon,  Alexandretta.    There  you  follow 


236  ORAL  ENGLISH 

the  old  Roman  road  across  the  mountains  to  Aleppo,  and  from,  there 
the  camel  caravan  route  to  the  desert." 

I  turned  and  walked  away,  bidding  him  good-night,  and  had  reached 
the  house  when  he  called  to  me  and  asked  if  I  would  say  before  God 
that  my  heart  was  not  mad.  I  will  admit  that  after  dinner  I  went  to 
bed  early,  and  did  not  get  much  sleep. 

I  got  up  before  daylight,  still  restless,  and  went  out,  and  there  in  the 
north  pasture  saw  an  impressive  spectacle — the  trying  out  of  Said's 
religious  faith.  Wadduda,  the  war  mare,  dressed  and  draped  in  all  her 
beautiful,  wild  regalia,  was  in  the  pasture.  From  her  neck  hung  the 
beads  of  the  wild  tribe,  and  from  the  desert  saddle  long  flowing  tassels 
swayed  in  the  morning  breeze.  It  must  have  taken  Said  half  an  hour 
to  have  draped  her.  Sticking  in  the  dirt  at  her  side,  towering  over  her 
head  ten  feet  or  more,  was  the  war  spear  from  the  Anezeh. 

Kneeling  on  his  prayer  rug  in  front  of  her  fore  feet  was  Said,  facing, 
as  I  at  first  thought,  the  strip  of  timber  across  the  road.  But  as  I 
watched  the  picture  I  saw  that  he  was  praying  toward  the  light  spot 
on  the  horizon — toward  Mecca.  I  watched  for  fully  five  minutes.  The 
boy  touched  his  lips  and  forehead  with  an  upward  stroke  of  the  hand, 
and  dropping  both  hands  beside  him,  looked  intently  for  a  moment  at 
the  approaching  dawn. 

Rising  up  slowly,  he  picked  up  his  little  prayer  rug,  lifted  his  spear 
from  the  damp  earth,  while  the  beautiful  prancing  mare  came  to  him. 
Her  tail  was  swinging  proudly  from  side  to  side. 

As  they  approached  me  I  saw  that  Said's  eyes  were,  if  anything,  more 
swollen  than  they  had  been  the  evening  before.  To  cheer  him  up,  I 
spoke  to  him  first. 

"  Said,  I  thought  when  I  saw  you  in  the  pasture  that  you  were  som^ 
member  of  the  Anezeh  that  had  come  to  see  me." 

^'La"  (no),  Mr.  Davenport,  Said  no  see  Anezeh." 

''You  are  going  back  to  the  desert." 

"No  go  desert.  All  night  Said  no  sleep — sit  down,  no  lay  down. 
Go  Wadudda  stall,  pray;  come  back,  no  answer — no  sleep — pray,  no 
sleep." 

Turning,  he  pointed  out  in  the  pasture,  to  the  little  knoll,  and  said 
that  there  a  few  moments  ago  Allah  had  answered  his  prayer.    When 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  237 

he  found  where  Mecca  was,  he  had  prayed  to  Allah  and  Allah  had 
told  him  that  he  was  not  to  go  back  to  the  desert;  that  he  had  been 
given  with  Wadduda  by  Akmet  Haffez  to  me;  and  that  he  was  going  to 
stay  as  long  as  Wadduda  lived — would  stay  even  when  she  was  gone, 
with  her  colt  and  her  colt's  colt,  and  was  never  going  back  to  the  desert. 
He  has  never  been  homesick  since. 


PRESENTING  PICTURES  BY  DELIVERY 

The  contemplation  of  a  selection  usually  results  in  mental 
pictures  of  what  the  author  sets  forth.  The  effort  to  present 
these  pictures  to  an  audience  makes  the  pictures  more  clear 
to  the  speaker  and  gives  variety  to  his  delivery.  It  is  sur- 
prising to  what  extent  a  reader  or  speaker  can  thus  convey 
his  mental  pictures  to  his  listeners.  Vivify  the  following 
selections  for  your  classmates  by  imagining  the  details  of 
the  author's  pictures,  and  by  endeavoring  to  present  the 
pictures  clearly  by  your  delivery. 


SERGEANT  VAUGHAN  AS  A  FIREMAN  ^ 
From  Heroes  Who  Fight  Fire.     By  Jacob  A.  Riis 

That  the  spirit  which  has  made  New  York^s  Fire  Department  great, 
equally  animates  its  commercial  brother,  has  been  shown  more  than 
once;  but  never  better  than  at  the  memorable  fire  in  the  Hotel  Royal, 
which  cost  so  many  lives.  No  account  of  heroic  life-saving  at  fires, 
could  pass  by  the  marvellous  feat,  or  feats  of  Sergeant  (now  Captain) 
John  R.  Vaughan  on  that  February  morning  1892. 

The  alarm  rang  in  patrol  station  Number  Three  at  three  twenty 
o'clock  on  Sunday  morning.  Sergeant  Vaughan,  hastening  to  the  fire 
with  his  men,  found  the  whole  five-story  hotel  ablaze  from  roof  to 
cellar.  The  fire  had  shot  up  the  elevator  shaft,  round  which  the  stairs 
ran,  and  from  the  first  had  made  escape  impossible.  Men  and  women 
were  jumping  and  hanging  from  windows.  One,  falling  from  a  great 
height,  came  within  an  inch  of  killing  the  sergeant  as  he  tried  to  enter 
the  building. 

Sergeant  Vaughan  went  up  on  the  roof.  The  smoke  was  so  dense 
there  that  he  could  see  little,  but  through  it  he  heard  a  cry  for  help, 
and  made  out  the  shape  of  a  man  standing  upon  a  window-sill  in  the 
fifth  story,  overlooking  the  courtyard  of  the  hotel.  The  yard  was  be- 
tween them.  Bidding  his  men  follow — they  were  five,  all  told — he 
ran  down  and  around  in  the  next  street  to  the  roof  of  the  house  that 
formed  an  angle  with  the  hotel  wing.  There  stood  the  man  below  him, 
only  a  jump  away,  but  a  jump  which  no  mortal  might  take  and  live. 
His  face  and  hands  were  black  with  smoke.  Vaughan,  looking  down, 
thought  him  a  negro.    He  was  perfectly  calm. 

*' It  is  of  no  use,"  he  said,  glancing  up.    ''  Don't  try.    You  can't  do  it." 

The  sergeant  looked  wistfully  about  him.  Not  a  stick  or  a  piece  of 
rope  was  in  sight.    Every  shred  was  used  below.    There  was  absolutely 

^  Reprinted  by  permission  of  the  author. 
239 


240  ORAL  ENGLISH 

nothing.  "But  I  couldn^t  let  him,"  he  said  to  me,  months  after,  when 
he  had  come  out  of  the  hospital,  a  whole  man  again,  and  was  back  at 
work, — *'I  just  couldn't,  standing  there  so  quiet  and  brave."  To  the 
man  he  said  sharply — 

*'I  want  you  to  do  exactly  as  I  tell  you,  now.  Don't  grab  me,  but 
let  me  get  the  first  grab."  He  had  noticed  that  the  man  wore  a  heavy 
overcoat,  and  had  already  laid  his  plan. 

''Don't  try,"  urged  the  man.  ''You  cannot  save  me.  I  will  stay 
here  till  it  gets  too  hot,  then  I  will  jump." 

"No,  you  won't,"  from  the  sergeant,  as  he  lay  at  full  length  on  the 
roof  looking  over.  "It  is  a  pretty  hard  yard  down  there.  I  will  get 
you,  or  go  dead  myself." 

The  four  sat  on  the  sergeant's  legs  as  he  swung  free  down  to  the 
waist:  so  he  was  almost  able  to  reach  the  man  on  the  window  with 
out-stretched  hands. 

"Now  jump — quick!"  he  commanded:  and  the  man  jumped.  He 
caught  him  by  both  wrists  as  directed,  and  the  sergeant  got  a  grip  on 
the  collar  of  his  coat. 

"Hoist!"  he  shouted  to  the  four  on  the  roof;  and  they  tugged  with 
their  might.  The  sergeant's  body  did  not  move.  Bending  over  till  the 
back  creaked,  it  hung  over  the  edge,  a  weight  of  two  hundred  and  three 
pounds  suspended  from  and  holding  it  down.  The  cold  sweat  started 
upon  his  men's  foreheads  as  they  tried  and  tried  again,  without  gaining 
an  inch.  Blood  dripped  from  Sergeant  Vaughan's  nostrils  and  ears. 
Sixty  feet  below  was  the  paved  courtyard:  over  against  him  the  window, 
behind  which  he  saw  the  back  draught  coming,  gathering  headway  with 
lurid,  swirling  smoke.  Now  it  burst  through,  burning  the  hair  and  the 
coats  of  the  two.    For  an  instant  he  thought  all  hope  was  gone. 

But  in  a  flash  it  came  back  to  him.  To  relieve  the  terrible  weight 
that  wrenched  and  tore  at  his  muscles,  he  was  swinging  the  man  to  and 
fro  like  a  pendulum,  head  touching  head.  He  could  swing  him  up!  A 
smothered  shout  warned  his  men.  They  crept  nearer  the  edge  without 
letting  go  their  grip  on  him,  and  watched  with  staring  eyes  the  human 
pendulum  swing  wider  and  wider,  farther  and  farther,  until  now,  with 
a  mighty  effort,  it  swung  within  their  reach.  They  caught  the  skirt  of 
the  coat,  held  on,  pulled  in,  and  in  a  moment  lifted  him  over  the  edge. 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  241 

They  lay  upon  the  roof,  all  six,  breathless,  sightless,  their  faces  turned 
to  the  wintry  sky.  The  tumult  on  the  street  came  up  as  a  faint  echo; 
the  spray  of  a  score  of  engines  pumping  below  fell  upon  them,  froze,  and 
covered  them  with  ice.  The  very  roar  of  the  fire  seemed  far  off.  The 
sergeant  was  the  first  to  recover.  He  carried  down  the  man  he  had 
saved,  and  saw  him  sent  off  to  the  hospital.  Then  first  he  noticed  that 
he  was  not  a  negro;  the  smut  had  been  rubbed  from  his  face.  Monday 
had  dawned  before  he  came  to,  and  days  passed  before  he  knew  his 
rescuer. 

Sergeant  Vaughan  was  laid  up  himself  then.  He  had  returned  to  his 
work,  and  finished  it;  but  what  he  had  gone  through  was  too  much  for 
human  strength.  It  was  spring  before  he  returned  to  his  quarters,  to 
find  himself  promoted,  petted,  and  made  much  of. 


THE  DEATH  OF  THE  DAUPHIN 

From  Letters  from  my  Windmill.    By  Alphonse  Daudet 

The  little  Dauphin  is  ill;  the  little  Dauphin  will  die.  In  all  the 
churches  of  the  kingdom  the  Holy  Sacrament  is  laid  ready  day  and 
night,  and  tapers  are  burning,  for  the  recovery  of  the  royal  child.  The 
streets  of  the  old  town  are  sad  and  silent;  the  bells  ring  no  more;  the 
carriages  are  driven  very  slowly.  The  curious  townspeople  are  gathered 
just  outside  the  palace,  and  are  staring  in  through  the  grating  of  the  gates 
at  the  guards,  with  their  golden  helmets,  who  walk  the  court  with  an 
important  air.  The  entire  castle  is  in  a  state  of  anxiety;  the  chamber- 
lains and  major-domos  go  up  and  down  the  staircase,  and  run  through 
the  halls. 

The  galleries  are  filled  with  pages  and  courtiers  in  silk  clothing,  who 
go  from  group  to  group  collecting  later  news  in  a  low  voice.  On  the 
large  porches  can  be  seen  the  ladies  of  honor,  bathed  in  tears,  bowing 
their  heads  and  wiping  their  eyes  with  pretty  embroidered  handker- 
chiefs. In  the  orangery  is  the  numerous  assembly  of  doctors  in  long 
robes:  one  can  see  them  through  the  panes  gesticulating  in  their  long 
sleeves,  and  shaking  their  wigs  knowingly.  The  little  Dauphin's  tutor 
and  squire  are  waiting  before  the  door,  anxious  for  the  decision  of  the 


242  ORAL  ENGLISH 

faculty.  Scullions  pass  by  without  saluting  them.  The  squire  sweara 
like  a  pagan;  the  tutor  recites  verses  from  Horace. 

And  during  this  time  down  by  the  stables  one  can  hear  a  long  plaintive 
neighing.  It  is  the  Dauphin's  little  sorrel  pony,  whom  the  grooms  are 
neglecting,  and  who  calls  sadly  from  his  empty  manger.  And  the  king^ 
where  is  his  Majesty  the  King?  The  king  has  shut  himself  in  a  room  in 
a  remote  part  of  the  castle.  Their  Majesties  do  not  like  to  be  seen 
weeping.  But  the  Queen — that  is  different.  Seated  by  the  little  prince's 
pillow,  her  beautiful  face  bathed  in  tears,  she  sobs  bitterly  before  every 
one,  just  as  a  peasant  mother  would  do. 

In  his  lace  crib  is  the  little  Dauphin,  whiter  than  the  cushions  on 
which  he  reposes,  with  closed  eyelids.  They  think  he  is  sleeping;  but 
no,  the  little  Dauphin  does  not  sleep.  He  turns  toward  his  mother,  and 
seeing  that  she  weeps,  he  says  to  her,  "  Madam  my  Queen,  why  do  you 
weep?  Do  you  think  truly  that  I  am  going  to  die?"  The  queen  wishes 
to  reply,  but  sobs  prevent  her  speaking.  "Pray  do  not  cry.  Madam  my 
Queen.  You  forget  that  I  am  the  Dauphin,  and  Dauphins  cannot  die 
thus."  The  Queen  sobs  more  bitterly  still,  and  the  little  Dauphin  be- 
gins to  be  frightened. 

"Hola!"  he  says,  '*I  do  not  wish  to  have  Death  come  and  take  me; 
and  I  shall  know  how  to  prevent  his  coming  here.  Bring  forth  forty 
lancers,  our  strongest,  to  mount  guard  around  our  bed;  a  hundred 
cannon  night  and  day;  torches  lighted  beneath  our  windows.  And 
unhappy  Death  if  he  dares  to  approach  us  then!"  The  Queen  gives  a 
sign  to  please  the  royal  child.  Forthwith,  one  can  hear  heavy  cannon 
being  rolled  across  the  courtyard;  and  forty  soldiers,  halberds  in  hand, 
come  and  range  themselves  around  the  room;  they  are  veterans,  with 
gray  moustaches. 

The  little  Dauphin  claps  his  hands  feebly  as  he  sees  them,  and  recog- 
nizing one  he  calls  him  by  name,  "Lorrain!  Lorrain!"  The  old  sol- 
dier takes  a  step  towards  the  bed.  ''I  love  you  well,  my  good  Lorrain. 
Let  me  see  your  big  sword.  If  Death  comes  to  take  me,  we  must  kill 
him,  must  we  not?"  Lorrain  replies,  ''Yes,  Monseigneur,"  as  the  big 
tears  run  down  his  bronzed  cheeks. 

At  this  moment  the  chaplain  approaches  the  little  Dauphin,  and  talks 
to  him  for  some  time  in  a  low  tone,  showing  him  a  crucifix.    The  little 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  243 

Dauphin  listens  with  an  astonished  air;  then  suddenly  interrupting, 
'*I  understand  well  what  you  say,  Monsieur  TAbbe;  but  after  all,  could 
not  my  little  friend  Beppo  die  in  my  place,  if  we  should  give  him  a  great 
deal  of  money?'' 

The  chaplain  continues  talking  to  him  in  a  low  voice,  and  the  little 
Dauphin  looks  more  and  more  astonished.  When  the  chaplain  has 
finished,  the  little  Dauphin  resumes,  with  a  heavy  sigh,  "All  that  you 
tell  me  is  very  sad,  Monsieur  I'Abbe,  but  one  thing  consoles  me:  up 
there  in  the  paradise  of  stars,  I  shall  still  be  the  Dauphin.  I  know 
that  our  good  God  is  my  cousin,  and  would  not  fail  to  treat  me  ac- 
cording to  my  rank."  Then  he  adds,  turning  to  his  mother,  "Have 
my  finest  garments  brought — my  ermine  cloak  and  velvet  slippers. 
I  wish  to  array  myself  for  the  angels,  and  enter  paradise  dressed  as  a 
Dauphin." 

A  third  time  the  chaplain  bends  over  the  little  prince,  and  talks  a 
long  time  in  whispering  tones.  The  royal  child  interrupts  him  in  anger, 
in  the  midst  of  his  discourse,  and  cries,  "  Then  it  is  no  use  to  be  a  Dau- 
phin,— it  is  nothing  at  all;"  and  not  wishing  to  hear  more,  he  turns 
toward  the  wall  weeping. 

A  VISION  OF  AMERICAN  HISTORY  ^ 

By  Henry  Watterson 

Extract  from  an  oration  delivered  at  the  dedication  of  the  Columbian 
Exposition  at  Chicago,  October  21,  1892. 

We  look  before  and  after,  and  we  see,  through  the  half-drawn  folds  of 
time,  as  though  through  the  solemn  archways  of  some  grand  cathedral, 
the  long  procession  pass,  as  silent  and  real  as  a  dream.  The  caravels, 
tossing  upon  the  Atlantic  billows,  have  their  sails  refilled  from  the  East, 
and  bear  away  to  the  West;  the  land  is  reached,  and  fulfilled  is  the  vi- 
sion whose  actualities  are  to  be  gathered  by  other  hands  than  his  who 
planned  the  voyage  and  steered  the  bark  of  discovery;  the  long-sought 
golden  day  has  come  to  Spain  at  last,  and  Castihan  conquests  tread 
upon  one  another  fast  enough  to  pile  up  perpetual  power  and  riches. 

^  Reprinted  by  permission  of  the  author  and  the  publisher,  Duffield  and 
Company. 


244  ORAL  ENGLISH 

But  even  as  simple  justice  was  denied  Columbus,  was  lasting  tenurt 
denied  the  Spaniard. 

We  look  again,  and  we  see  in  the  far  Northeast  the  Old  World  struggle 
between  the  French  and  the  English  transferred  to  the  New,  ending  in 
the  tragedy  upon  the  heights  above  Quebec;  we  see  the  sturdy  Puritans 
in  bell-crowned  hats  and  sable  garments  assail  in  unequal  battle  the 
savage  and  the  elements,  overcoming  both  to  rise  against  a  mightier 
foe;  we  see  the  gay  but  dauntless  Cavaliers,  to  the  southward,  join 
hands  with  the  roundheads  in  holy  rebellion. 

And  lo,  down  from  the  green-walled  hills  of  New  England,  out  of 
the  swamps  of  the  Carolinas,  come  faintly  to  the  ear,  like  far-away 
forest  leaves  stirred  to  music  by  autumn  winds,  the  drum-taps  of  the 
Revolution;  the  tramp  of  the  minute-men,  Israel  Putnam  riding  before; 
the  hoof -beats  of  Sumter's  horse  galloping  to  the  front;  the  thunder  of 
Stark's  guns  in  spirit  battle;  the  gleam  of  Marion's  watch-fires  in  ghostly 
bivouac;  and  there,  there  in  serried,  saint-Uke  ranks  on  fame's  eternal 
camping  ground  stand, 

''The  old  continentals 

In  their  ragged  regimentals, 

Yielding  not " 

as,  amid  the  singing  of  angels  in  Heaven,  the  scene  is  shut  out  from  our 
mortal  vision  by  proud  and  happy  tears. 

We  see  the  rise  of  the  young  republic,  and  the  gentlemen  in  knee 
breeches  and  powdered  wigs  who  made  the  Constitution.  We  see  the 
little  nation  menaced  from  without.  We  see  the  riflemen  in  hunting 
shirt  and  buckskin  swarm  from  the  cabin  in  the  wilderness  to  the  rescue 
of  country  and  home;  and  our  hearts  swell  to  see  the  second  and  final 
decree  of  independence  won  by  the  prowess  and  valor  of  American 
arms  upon  the  land  and  sea. 

And  then,  and  then, — since  there  is  no  life  of  nations  or  of  men  with- 
out its  shadow  or  its  sorrow, — there  comes  a  day  when  the  spirits  of 
the  fathers  no  longer  walk  upon  the  battlements  of  freedom;  and  all  is 
dark;  and  all  seems  lost  save  liberty  and  honor,  and,  praise  God!  our 
blessed  Union.  With  these  surviving,  who  shall  marvel  at  what  we  see 
to-day — this  land  filled  with  the  treasures  of  the  earth;  this  city,  snatched 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  245 

from  the  ashes  to  rise  in  splendor  and  renown,  passing  the  mind  of  man 
to  preconceive?  Truly,  out  of  trial  comes  the  strength  of  man;  out  of 
disaster  comes  the  glory  of  the  state. 

MARGUERITE » 

John  Greenleaf  Whittier 

The  robins  sang  in  the  orchard,  the  buds  into  blossoms  grew; 

Little  of  human  sorrow  the  buds  and  the  robins  knew! 

Sick,  in  an  alien  household,  the  poor  French  neutral  lay; 

Into  her  lonesome  garret  fell  the  light  of  the  April  day, 

Through  the  dusty  window,  curtained  by  the  spider's  warp  and  woof, 

On  the  loose-laid  floor  of  hemlock,  on  oaken  ribs  of  roof. 

The  bedquilt's  faded  patchwork,  the  teacups  on  the  stand, 

The  wheel  with  flaxen  tangle,  as  it  dropped  from  her  sick  hand! 

What  to  her  was  the  song  of  the  robin,  or  warm  morning  light. 
As  she  lay  in  the  trance  of  the  dying,  heedless  of  sound  or  sight? 
Done  was  the  work  of  her  hands,  she  had  eaten  her  bitter  bread; 
The  world  of  the  alien  people  lay  behind  her  dim  and  dead. 
But  her  soul  went  back  to  its  child-time;  she  saw  the  sun  overflow 
With  gold  the  basin  of  Minas,  and  set  over  Gasperau. 
She  saw  the  face  of  her  mother,  she  heard  the  song  she  sang; 
And  far  off,  faintly,  slowly,  the  bell  for  vespers  rang! 

By  her  bed,  the  hard-faced  mistress  sat,  smoothing  the  wrinkled  sheet, 
Peering  into  the  face  so  helpless,  and  feeling  the  ice-cold  feet. 
With  a  vague  remorse,  atoning  for  her  greed  and  long  abuse, 
By  a  care  no  longer  heeded  and  pity  too  late  for  use. 
Up  the  stairs  of  the  garret  softly  the  son  of  the  mistress  stepped, 
Leaned  over  the  head-board,  covering  his  face  with  his  hands,  and  wept 
Out  spake  the  mother,  who  watched  him  sharply,  with  brow  a-frown : 
''What!  love  you  the  Papist,  the  beggar,  the  charge  of  the  town?'* 

*'  Be  she  Papist  or  beggar  who  lies  here,  I  know  and  God  knows 
I  love  her,  and  fain  would  go  with  her  wherever  she  goes! 

^  Reprinted  by  permission  of  Houghton  Mifflin  Company. 


246  ORAL  ENGLISH 

O  Mother!  that  sweet  face  came  pleading,  for  love  so  athirst. 
You  saw  but  the  town-charge;  I  knew  her  God's  angel  at  first." 
Shaking  her  gray  head,  the  mistress  hushed  down  a  bitter  cry; 
And  awed  by  the  silence  and  shadow  of  death  drawing  nigh, 
She  murmured  a  psalm  of  the  Bible;  but  closer  the  young  girl  pressed, 
With  the  last  of  her  life  in  her  fingers,  the  cross  to  her  breast. 

"My  son,  come  away,''  cried  the  mother,  her  voice  cruel  grown. 

''She  is  joined  to  her  idols,  like  Ephraim;  let  her  alone!" 

But  he  knelt  with  his  hand  on  her  forehead,  his  lips  to  her  ear. 

And  he  called  back  the  soul  that  was  passing:  "Marguerite,  do  you 

hear?" 
She  paused  on  the  threshold  of  heaven;  love,  pity,  surprise. 
Wistful,  tender,  lit  up  for  an  instant  the  cloud  of  her  eyes. 
With  his  heart  on  his  lips  he  kissed  her,  but  never  her  cheek  grew  red, 
And  the  words  the  living  long  for  he  spake  in  the  ear  of  the  dead. 
And  the  robins  sang  in  the  orchard,  where  buds  to  blossoms  grew; 
Of  the  folded  hands  and  the  still  face  never  the  robins  knew! 


A  PASSION  IN  THE  DESERT* 
HoNORE  DE  Balzac 

During  the  expedition  undertaken  by  General  Desaix  into  upper 
Egypt,  a  Provengal  soldier  was  made  a  prisoner  by  the  Arabs  and  taken 
into  the  desert  beyond  the  cataracts  of  the  Nile.  In  order  to  place  a 
safe  distance  between  themselves  and  the  French  army,  the  Arabs  made 
a  forced  march,  resting  only  by  night.  They  camped  about  a  well 
over-shadowed  by  palm  trees.  Not  suspecting  that  the  idea  of  escape 
would  occur  to  their  prisoner,  they  merely  tied  his  hands  and  went  to 
sleep. 

When  the  brave  Frenchman  saw  that  his  enemies  were  no  longer 
watching  him,  he  made  use  of  his  teeth  to  seize  a  simitar,  fixed  the  blad-e 
between  his  knees,  and  cut  the  cord  which  restrained  his  hands.  He 
then  seized  a  carbine  and  a  poniard,  mounted  a  horse,  and  quickly 

^  Abridged. 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  247 

spurred  away  in  the  direction  where  he  thought  to  find  the  French  army. 
So  impatient  was  he,  that  he  urged  on  his  already  tired  courser  till  the 
poor  animal,  its  flanks  lacerated  by  the  spurs,  soon  breathed  its  last 
and  left  its  rider  in  the  midst  of  the  desert. 

After  walking  on  for  some  time  in  the  sand,  the  soldier  was  obliged 
to  stop,  as  the  day  was  at  an  end.  In  spite  of  the  beauty  of  an  Oriental 
night,  he  felt  he  had  not  strength  enough  to  go  on.  Fortunately  he 
found  a  small  hill  on  the  summit  of  which  grew  a  few  palm  trees.  His 
weariness  was  so  great  that  he  lay  down  on  a  granite  boulder,  and  fell 
asleep  without  taking  any  precautions  for  his  safety.  Great  was  his 
joy  the  next  day  on  discovering  a  kind  of  grotto,  naturally  shaped  in 
the  blocks  of  granite;  and  a  few  steps  farther  on,  some  trees  loaded  with 
dates.  Then  the  instinct  which  draws  us  to  life  reawakened  in  his 
heart. 

That  night  he  slept  under  the  red  roof  of  his  damp  cave.  In  the  mid- 
dle of  the  night  his  sleep  was  disturbed  by  an  unusual  noise.  He  sat 
up,  and  the  deep  silence  permitted  him  to  recognize  the  alternating 
accents  of  a  respiration  whose  savage  energy  could  belong  to  no  human 
creature.  He  almost  felt  his  hair  stand  on  end  when,  dilating  the  pupils 
of  his  eyes,  he  perceived  a  huge  animal  lying  only  two  steps  away.  Soon 
the  reflection  of  the  moon  illumined  the  cave,  and  by  insensible  degrees 
revealed  the  resplendent  coat  of  a  spotted  panther.  Her  eyes  opened 
for  a  moment  and  closed  again;  her  face  was  turned  towards  the  man. 

A  thousand  confused  thoughts  passed  through  the  Frenchman's  mind. 
At  first  he  thought  of  killing  it  with  a  shot  from  his  gun,  but  he  soon 
saw  there  was  not  room  enough  to  take  aim,  and  that  the  shot  would 
fail  to  take  effect.  And  if  the  beast  were  to  awake! — the  thought  made 
his  limbs  rigid.  Twice  he  placed  his  hand  on  his  poniard  intending  to 
cut  off  the  head  of  his  enemy,  but  the  difficulty  of  cutting  through  the 
stiff  short  hair  obliged  him  to  renounce  this  project.  To  fail  would 
surely  mean  his  death.  He  preferred  the  chances  of  combat,  and  re- 
solved to  await  the  day. 

The  day  did  not  give  him  long  to  wait.  The  Frenchman  could  now 
examine  the  panther;  its  muzzle  was  smeared  with  blood.  ^'She  has 
had  a  good  meal,"  he  mused,  "and  will  not  be  hungry  when  she  wakes 
up."    Then  a  bold  thought  made  daylight  in  his  heart  and  checked  the 


248  ORAL  ENGLISH 

cold  sweat  on  his  brow.  He  determined  to  view  this  adventure  merely 
as  a  tragic  drama,  and  play  out  his  part  with  honor  to  the  final  scene. 

When  the  sun  appeared,  the  panther  suddenly  opened  her  eyes; 
vigorously  stretched  out  her  paws  as  if  to  get  rid  of  cramps;  then  turned 
her  head  toward  the  Frenchman  and  looked  at  him  steadily  without 
moving.  He  watched  her  with  a  caressing  gaze,  staring  as  if  to  hypno- 
tize her,  and  let  her  come  quite  near  him.  Then  with  a  gentle  move- 
ment he  passed  his  hand  over  her  body  from  the  head  to  the  tail.  The 
beast  voluptuously  straightened  her  tail,  and  her  eyes  grew  gentle.  When 
for  the  third  time  the  Frenchman  accomplished  this  effective  flattery, 
she  began  to  purr,  as  our  cats  do  in  expressing  their  pleasure.  Assured 
of  having  extinguished  the  ferocity  of  his  capricious  companion,  the 
soldier  rose  to  go  out  of  the  cave.  The  panther  indeed  let  him  pass;  but 
when  he  had  ascended  the  hill,  she  bounded  after  him  and  began  rubbing 
herself  against  the  soldier's  legs,  putting  up  her  back  like  all  the  race 
of  cats. 

Regarding  her  guest  with  eyes  whose  brilliancy  had  become  some- 
what softened,  she  gave  vent  to  a  wild  cry.  ''She  is  exacting!"  cried 
the  Frenchman  with  a  smile.  He  ventured  to  play  with  her  ears,  and 
scratch  her  head  as  hard  as  he  could.  Perceiving  his  success,  he  tickled 
her  skull  with  the  point  of  his  dagger,  watching  for  a  propitious  moment 
to  kill  her.  The  sultana  of  the  desert  indicated  her  acceptance  of  the 
attentions  of  her  slave  by  raising  her  head,  stretching  her  neck,  and 
displaying  her  infatuation  by  the  tranquility  of  her  demeanor.  It 
suddenly  occurred  to  the  soldier  that  to  kill  this  savage  princess  with 
one  blow,  he  must  stab  her  in  the  throat.  He  raised  the  blade,  when 
the  panther  lay  down  at  his  feet  and  cast  glances  at  him,  in  which,  in 
spite  of  their  native  fierceness,  was  mingled  a  confused  goodwill. 

The  Provencal  tried  if  he  might  walk  up  and  down.  The  panther 
left  him  free,  contenting  herself  with  following  him  with  her  eyes.  He 
conceived  the  fond  hope  of  continuing  on  good  terms  with  the  panther, 
of  course  neglecting  no  means  of  taming  and  conciliating  her.  He  came 
back  to  her  and  had  the  unspeakable  happiness  of  seeing  her  wag  her 
tail  in  an  almost  imperceptible  movement.  He  then  sat  down  without 
fear  beside  her,  and  the  two  began  to  play;  he  fondled  her  paws  and 
muzzle,  pulled  her  ears,  rolled  her  over  on  her  back  and  stroked  her 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  249 

warm,  silky  flanks.  The  man,  keeping  his  poniard  in  hand,  thought 
even  to  plunge  it  into  the  too-confiding  panther;  but  he  feared  being 
strangled  in  the  last  convulsion  which  would  seize  her.  Besides,  he  felt 
in  his  heart  a  sort  of  compunction  which  cried  out  to  him  to  respect  an 
inoffensive  creature. 

He  seemed  to  have  found  a  friend  in  this  boundless  desert.  Involun- 
tarily he  thought  of  his  first  sweetheart,  whom  he  had  nicknamed 
'*  Mignonne."  This  memory  of  his  youth  suggested  the  idea  of  teaching 
this  young  panther  to  answer  to  the  name.  Toward  the  end  of  the  day 
he  had  become  accustomed  to  his  perilous  situation,  and  he  almost 
enjoyed  the  painfulness  of  it.  The  soldier  awaited  with  impatience  the 
hour  when  Mignonne  should  fall  asleep,  and  when  it  arrived  he  ran 
swiftly  in  the  direction  of  the  Nile;  but  hardly  had  he  made  a  quarter 
of  a  league  in  the  sand  when  he  heard  the  panther  bounding  after  him, 
and  uttering  her  rasping  cry,  more  fearful  even  than  the  sound  of  her 
leaping. 

''Ah,"  he  said,  ''she^s  taken  a  fancy  to  me;  she  has  never  met  any 
one  before,  and  it  is  really  quite  flattering  to  have  her  first  love."  At 
that  instant  the  man  fell  into  one  of  those  quicksands,  so  dreaded  by 
travellers,  since  it  is  impossible  to  escape  from  them.  Feeling  himself 
caught,  he  gave  a  cry  of  alarm.  The  panther  seized  him  by  the  collar 
with  her  teeth,  and  leaping  backward  with  vigor,  dragged  him  from 
danger  as  if  by  magic.  "Ah,  Mignonne!"  cried  the  soldier,  ''we  are 
now  bound  together  for  life  and  death." 

Thenceforth  the  desert  seemed  inhabited.  It  contained  a  being  to 
whom  the  man  could  talk,  w^hose  ferocity  had  been  softened  by  him, 
though  he  could  not  explain  the  reason  for  this  remarkable  friend- 
ship. 

One  day,  when  the  sun  was  shining  brightly,  an  immense  bird  cut 
through  the  air.  The  Frenchman  left  his  panther,  to  examine  this  new 
visitor;  but  after  a  moment's  waiting,  the  deserted  sultana  gave  a  harsh 
growl.  "I  do  believe  she  is  jealous!"  exclaimed  the  soldier,  as  he  saw 
her  eyes  become  hard  again.  The  Frenchman  and  the  panther  looked  at 
each  other  with  an  air  of  perfect  understanding.  The  coquette  quivered 
when  she  felt  her  friend  stroke  her  head,  her  eyes  flashed  like  lightning, 
and  then  she  shut  them  tightly.    "She  has  a  soul,"  he  said,  as  he  studied 


250  ORAL  ENGLISH 

the  tranquility  of  this  queen  of  the  sands,  golden  like  them,  white  likft 
them,  solitary  and  burning  like  them. 

But  this  passion  of  the  desert  ended  as  all  great  passions  do  end,  with  a 
misunderstanding.  One  suspects  the  other  of  treason;  there  is  no  ex- 
planation, because  of  pride;  and  they  fall  out  through  stubbornness. 

''I  don't  know  if  I  hurt  her,''  said  the  soldier,  ''but  she  turned  round 
as  if  enraged,  and  with  her  sharp  teeth  seized  me  by  the  leg — gently, 
I  dare  say;  but  I,  thinking  she  was  about  to  devour  me,  plunged  my 
dagger  into  her  throat.  She  rolled  over,  uttering  a  cry  that  froze  my 
heart.  I  saw  her  struggling  in  death,  still  watching  me  without  anger. 
I  would  have  given  all  the  world  to  bring  her  back  to  life  again.  It 
was  as  though  I  had  murdered  a  real  person.  The  soldiers  who  finally 
came  to  my  assistance,  found  me  in  tears.  Since  then  I  have  been  in 
war  in  Germany,  in  Spain,  in  Russia,  in  France;  but  never  have  I  seen 
anything  like  the  desert.  It  is  very  beautiful  and  what  you  feel  there 
cannot  be  described.  In  the  desert,  you  see,  there  is  everything,  and 
nothing.    It  is  God  without  mankind." 

A  NIGHT  AMONG  THE  PINES 

From  Travels  with  a  Donkey.    By  Robert  Louis  Stevenson 

Night  is  a  dead  monotonous  period  under  a  roof;  but  in  the  open 
world  it  passes  lightly,  with  its  stars  and  dews  and  perfumes,  and  the 
hours  are  marked  by  changes  in  the  face  of  Nature.  What  seems  a 
kind  of  temporal  death  to  people  choked  between  walls  and  curtains,  is 
onl}^  a  light  and  living  slumber  to  the  man  who  sleeps  a-field. 

All  night  long  he  can  hear  nature  breathing  deeply  and  freely;  even 
as  she  takes  her  rest,  she  turns  and  smiles;  and  there  is  one  stirring  hour 
unknown  to  those  who  dwell  in  houses,  when  a  wakeful  influence  goes 
abroad  over  the  sleeping  hemisphere,  and  all  the  outdoor  world  are  on 
their  feet.  It  is  then  that  the  cock  first  crows,  not  this  time  to  an- 
nounce the  dawn,  but  like  a  cheerful  watchman  speeding  the  course 
of  the  night.  Cattle  awake  on  the  meadows;  sheep  break  their  fast  on 
dewy  hillsides,  and  change  to  a  new  lair  among  the  ferns;  and  houseless 
men,  who  have  lain  down  with  the  fowls,  open  their  dim  eyes  and  be- 
hold the  beauty  of  the  night. 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  251 

At  what  inaudible  summons,  at  what  gentle  touch  of  Nature,  are  all 
these  sleepers  thus  recalled  in  the  same  hour  to  life?  Do  the  stars  rain 
down  an  influence,  or  do  we  share  some  thrill  of  mother  earth  below 
our  resting  bodies?  Even  shepherds  and  old  country-folk,  who  are  the 
deepest  read  in  these  arcana,  have  not  a  guess  as  to  the  means  or  pur- 
pose of  this  nightly  resurrection. 

Towards  two  in  the  morning  they  declare  the  thing  takes  place;  and 
neither  know  nor  inquire  further.  And  at  least  it  is  a  pleasant  incident. 
We  are  disturbed  in  our  slumber  only,  like  the  luxurious  Montaigne^ 
^'  that  we  may  the  better  and  more  sensibly  relish  it."  We  have  a  moment 
to  look  upon  the  stars.  And  there  is  a  special  pleasure  for  some  minds 
in  the  reflection  that  we  share  the  impulse  with  all  outdoor  creatures 
in  our  neighborhood,  that  we  have  escaped  out  of  the  Bastille  of  civiliza- 
tion, and  are  become,  for  the  time  being,  a  mere  kindly  animal  and  a 
sheep  of  Nature's  flock. 

When  that  hour  came  to  me  among  the  pines,  I  wakened  thirsty.  My 
tin  was  standing  by  me  half  full  of  water.  I  emptied  it  at  a  draught; 
and  feeling  broad  awake  after  this  internal  cold  aspersion,  sat  upright 
to  make  a  cigarette.  The  stars  were  clear,  colored,  and  jewel-like,  but 
not  frosty.  A  faint  silvery  vapor  stood  for  the  Milky  Way.  All  around 
me  the  black  fir-points  stood  upright  and  stock-still. 

By  the  whiteness  of  the  pack-saddle,  I  could  see  Modestine  walking 
round  and  round  at  the  length  of  her  tether;  I  could  hear  her  steadily 
munching  at  the  sward ;  but  there  was  not  another  sound  save  the  inde- 
scribable quiet  talk  of  the  runnel  over  the  stones.  I  lay  studying  the 
color  of  the  sky,  as  we  call  the  void  of  space,  from  where  it  showed  a 
reddish  gray  behind  the  pines  to  where  it  showed  a  glossy  blue-black 
between  the  stars. 

A  faint  wind,  more  like  a  moving  coolness  than  a  stream  of  air,  passed 
down  the  glade  from  time  to  time;  so  that  even  in  my  great  chamber 
the  air  was  being  renewed  all  night  long.  I  thought  with  horror  of 
the  inn  at  Chasserades  and  the  congregated  nightcaps;  with  horror  of 
the  nocturnal  prowesses  of  clerks  and  students,  of  hot  theatres  and 
pass-keys  and  close  rooms.  I  have  not  often  enjoyed  a  more  serene 
possession  of  myself,  nor  felt  more  independent  of  material  aids. 

The  outer  world,  from  which  we  cower  into  our  houses,  seemed  aftel 


252  ORAL  ENGLISH 

all  a  gentle  habitable  place;  and  night  after  night  a  man's  bed,  it  seemed, 
was  laid  and  waiting  for  him  in  the  fields,  where  God  keeps  an  open 
house.  I  thought  I  had  rediscovered  one  of  those  truths  which  are  re- 
vealed to  savages  and  hid  from  political  economists:  at  the  least,  I  had 
discovered  a  new  pleasure  for  myself. 

When  1  awoke  again  (Sunday,  29th  September),  many  of  the  stars 
had  disappeared;  only  the  stronger  companions  of  the  night  still  burned 
visibly  overhead;  and  away  towards  the  east  I  saw  a  faint  haze  of  light 
upon  the  horizon,  such  as  had  been  the  Milky  Way  when  I  was  last 
awake.  Day  was  at  hand.  I  lit  my  lantern,  and  by  its  glowworm  light 
put  on  my  boots  and  gaiters;  then  I  broke  up  some  bread  for  Modes  tine, 
filled  my  can  at  the  water-tap,  and  lit  my  spirit-lamp  to  boil  myself 
some  chocolate. 

The  blue  darkness  lay  long  in  the  glade  where  I  had  so  sweetly  slum- 
bered; but  soon  there  was  a  broad  streak  of  orange  melting  into  gold 
along  the  mountain-tops  of  Vivarais.  A  solemn  glee  possessed  my  mind 
at  this  gradual  and  lovely  coming  in  of  day.  I  heard  the  runnel  with 
delight;  I  looked  round  me  for  something  beautiful  and  unexpected; 
but  the  still  black  pine-trees,  the  hollow  glade,  the  munching  ass,  re- 
mained unchanged  in  figure.  Nothing  had  altered  but  the  light,  and 
that,  indeed,  shed  over  all  a  spirit  of  life  and  of  breathing  peace,  and 
moved  me  to  a  strange  exhilaration. 

I  drank  my  water  chocolate,  which  was  hot  if  it  was  not  rich,  and 
strolled  here  and  there,  and  up  and  down  about  the  glade.  While  I  was 
thus  delaying,  a  gush  of  steady  wind,  as  long  as  a  heavy  sigh,  poured 
direct  out  of  the  quarters  of  the  morning.  It  was  cold,  and  set  me 
sneezing.  The  trees  near  at  hand  tossed  their  black  plumes  in  its  pas- 
sage; and  I  could  see  the  thin  distant  spires  of  pine  along  the  edge  of 
the  hill  rock  slightly  to  and  fro  against  the  golden  east.  Ten  minutes 
after,  the  sunlight  spread  at  a  gallop  along  the  hillside,  scattering 
shadows  and  sparkles,  and  the  day  had  come  completely. 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  253 

TALL-STOY  ^ 

By  George  Ade 

Characters 
Mr.  Robert  Latimer,  a  man  absorbed  in  business. 
A  Solicitor,  representing  "The  Interplanetary  Publishing  Co." 
Scene;  Mr.  Latimer's  office 

Mr.  Latimer  is  seated  in  a  revolving  chair  at  his  desk.  The  solicitoi 
enters. 

Solicitor:  This  is  Mr.  Latimer? 

Latimer  {turning  in  chair) :  It  is. 

S. :  Your  name  has  been  given  to  us,  Mr.  Latimer,  as  one  who  is  fond 
of  good  books. 

L.:  Whois^'us"? 

S.:  The  Interplanetary  Publishing  Company  is  the  house  I  have  the 
honor  to  represent.  Our  manager  was  very  anxious  that  I  should  call 
on  you.  Even  if  you  do  not  care  to  place  an  order,  I  know  that  as  a 
lover  of  beautiful  prints  and  bindings,  you  will  take  some  pleasure  in 
examining  the  sample  volume  I  have  here. 

L.:  Your  manager  is  mixed  in  his  dates.  You  have  hunted  up  the 
wrong  Latimer. 

S.:  I  hardly  think  so.  You  have  placed  several  orders  with  us  al- 
ready, haven't  you?    Didn't  you  take  a  set  of  the  Balzac? 

L.:  I  guess  I  did — four  dollars  per  Balzac.  IVe  got  'em  out  home 
there  now,  just  as  good  as  new. 

S.:  That  was  an  excellent  edition. 

L.:  I  wouldn't  dare  to  contradict  you,  because  IVe  never  looked 
into  one  of  them. 

S. :  I  had  understood  that  you  were  something  of  a  collector. 

L.:  That  isn't  what  I  call  myself.  I  call  myself  an  easy  mark.  I've 
got  about  as  much  use  for  a  lot  of  them  books  as  a  Methodist  preacher'd 
have  for  a  dark  lantern  an'  a  pair  of  loaded  dice.  I  don't  know  how  I 
happened  to  let  myself  be  worked  on  that  first  lot.    I  guess  I  had  orders 

^  Copyright  1903  by  Doubleday  Page  and  Company,  and  reprinted  b^ 
special  arrangement  with  these  publishers. 


254  ORAL  ENGLISH 

from  home  to  fill  up  the  shelves.  You  fellows  didn^t  do  a  thing  to  me. 
Bing!  Four  dollars  a  throw.  They  may  be  swell  books  all  right  but  1 
don't  have  any  time  to  get  at  'em.  Say,  I  don't  even  have  time  to  read 
the  newspapers. 

S.:  You  have  no  objection,  however,  to  my  showing  you  some  of  our 
new  things? 

L.:  Show  it,  if  you  want  to,  but  you're  simply  usin'  up  your  own  time, 
I  can  tell  you  that. 

S.:  I  have  something  here  that  I  fancy  will  please  you.  {takes  hook 
from  under  coat) 

L.:  What  is  it? 

S.:  Tolstoi. 

L.:  Come  again. 

S.:  Tolstoi. 

L.:  Tall-stoy? 

S.:  Yes.    I  suppose  you  are  more  or  less  familiar  with  his  work? 

L.:  Chicago  man? 

S. :  I  don't  think  you  caught  the  name — Tolstoi,  the  eminent  Russian. 

L.:  Russian? 

S.:  Yes.  He  is  accorded  first  place  among  the  great  literary  work- 
ers of  the  czar's  domain,  his  writings  being  characterized  by  simplicity, 
immense  strength,  and  a  sympathy  for  all  mankind,  particularly  the 
poor  and  downtrodden. 

L.:  That's  all  right,  too,  but  if  your  house  wants  to  get  out  books 
and  sell  them  to  people,  why  don't  you  plug  for  somebody  here  at 
home?  There's  lots  of  good  fellows  in  this  country  you  might  help  to  a 
little  money  if  you  wanted  to.  Instead  of  that,  you  have  to  hunt  up 
some  fellow  over  in  Russia.  You  can  bet  that  any  coin  he  gets  out  of 
these  books  he  spends  over  there.  He  don't  come  to  Chicago  to  blow  it 
in,  does  he? 

S.:  Our  house  is  always  ready  to  give  encouragement  to  American 
authors,  but  in  this  line  of  work  you  must  admit  that  Tolstoi  is  pre- 
eminent. 

L. :  Let  me  tell  you  something.  You  come  in  here  and  you  want  me 
to  buy  some  books  written  by  this — whatever  his  name  is.  and  you  say 
to  me  that  he  is  the  best  ever? 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  255 

S. :  I  merely  repeat  what  the  critics  have  agreed  upon. 

L.:  The  critics,  eh?  Now,  let  me  tell  you  about  them.  I  had  a  friend 
here  from  Grand  Rapids  the  other  day  and  I  wanted  to  take  him  to 
a  show.  I  didn't  know  what  was  good  in  town,  so  I  gets  a  paper  and 
reads  the  notices.  Well,  I  find  one  play  that  gets  an  awful  lift  all  around, 
so  we  go  over  there,  and  say!  it  was  the  saddest  ever.  It  was  so  punk 
it  was  blue  all  around  the  edges.  I  don't  want  any  critic  tellin'  me 
where  to  get  off.  I  don't  think  they're  on  the  level.  Now  you  say  that 
they're  all  out  cappin'  for  this  fellow.  Mebbe  they  are,  but  look  here, 
I  never  heard  of  this  mug  before  and  I've  been  in  town  all  the  time,  too. 

S.:  He  has  been  writing  for  years. 

L.:  Where? 

S.:  Over  in  Russia. 

L.:  Yes,  an'  I've  been  in  Chicago  all  that  time.  If  he  wants  to  do 
business  with  us  people,  why  don't  he  come  here? 

S.:  My  dear  sir,  Count  Tolstoi's  work  has  a  world-wide  interest. 
Will  you  be  good  enough  to  notice  the  print?  The  etchings  are  un- 
usually good,  also. 

L.:  How  many  books  in  the  set? 

S.:  There  are  twenty. 

L.:  Oh,  Willie!  I've  just  got  a  panel  photograph  of  myself  settin' 
up  these  winter  nights  to  read  twenty  of  these  things  by  his  Russian 
nobs.  Is  that  his  picture — with  the  fringe?  He  don't  look  to  me  much 
like  a  count. 

S.:  I  believe,  Mr.  Latimer,  that  you  would  deeply  enjoy  reading 
Tolstoi.    He  appeals  to  all  thoughtful  people. 

L.:  What  are  you  trying  to  do,  swell  me?  On  the  level  do  you  find 
a  good  many  people  to  go  against  this  kind  of  a  game? 

S.:  I  am  meeting  with  gratifying  success,  Mr.  Latimer.  You  seC; 
there  has  long  been  a  demand  for  a  uniform  edition  of  Tolstoi. 

L. :  There  has,  eh?    I  hadn't  heard  about  it. 

S.:  I  sold  three  sets  yesterday  out  at  the  university. 

L.:  What  do  you  get  for  a  set? 

S.:  The  price  is  three  dollars  a  volume,  payable  in  installments. 

L.:  Sixty  dollars  worth  of — What's  his  name? 

S.:  Tolstoi. 


256  ORAL  ENGLISH 

L.:  I'd  have  to  be  getting  my  sixties  easy  to  let  go  of  *em  for  any« 
thing  like  this. 

S. :  You  couldn't  have  a  more  valuable  set  in  your  library. 

L.:  Yes?  Well,  you  tell  it  all  right.  I  s'pose  you  get  a  piece  of  that 
sixty. 

S.:  Naturally — I  get  my  commission. 

L. :  How  much?    About  forty-five? 

S.:  Oh,  really!    I  merely  get  a  fair  percentage  for  placing  the  works. 

L.:  Well,  you'll  earn  all  the  percentages  you  get  here. 

S.:  If  you  will — 

L.:  Say,  you  ain't  got  one  chance  in  a  million.  Let  me  give  you  a 
pointer,  too.  Drop  Tall-stoy  and  get  a  live  one.  Here's  your  book. 
X  won't  keep  you  waiting. 

A  ROYAL  MARAUDER  ^ 

Abridged  from  Red  Fox.     By  Charles  G.  D.  Roberts 

Red  Fox's  new  home  on  the  ridge  was  a  deep  well-drained  pocket  of 
dry  earth,  hard  to  come  at,  and  surrounded  by  an  expanse  of  rocky 
debris  where  scent  would  not  He.  In  this  difficult  retreat  Red  Fox  and 
his  family  had  few  neighbors  to  intrude  upon  his  privacy.  But  there 
was  one  pair  on  whom  Red  Fox  and  his  mate  looked  with  strong  dis- 
approval, not  unmixed  with  anxiety. 

On  an  inaccessible  ledge,  in  a  ravine  a  little  way  down  the  other  side 
of  the  ridge,  toward  Ringwaak,  was  the  nest  of  a  white-headed  eagle. 
It  was  a  great,  untidy,  shapeless  mass,  a  cart-load  of  sticks,  as  it  were, 
apparently  dropped  from  the  skies  upon  this  bare  ledge,  but  in  reality 
so  interwoven  with  each  point  of  rock,  and  so  braced  in  the  crevices, 
that  no  tempest  could  avail  to  jar  its  strong  foundations.  In  the  hollow 
in  the  top  of  this  mass,  on  a  few  wisps  of  dry  grass  mixed  with  feathers 
and  fur,  huddled  two  half -naked,  fierce-eyed  nestlings. 

Of  the  eagle  pair,  the  female  had  her  aerial  range  over  Ringwaak,  and 

the  chain  of  lonely  lakes  the  other  side  of  Ringwaak.    But  the  male 

did  his  hunting  over  the  region  of  the  settlements  and  on  toward  the 

Ottanoonsis  Valley.    Every  morning,  just  after  sunrise,  his  great  wingg 

*  Reprinted  by  special  arrangement  with  L.  C.  Page  and  Company, 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  257 

went  winnowing  mightily  over  the  ridge,  just  over  the  hollow  where 
Red  Fox  had  his  lair.  And  as  the  dread  shadow  passed  by,  the  little 
foxes  would  shrink  back  into  their  den,  well  taught  by  their  father  and 
mother. 

One  morning  when,  in  the  gray  of  the  earliest  dawn,  Red  Fox  climbed 
to  his  retreat  with  a  plump  woodchuck  in  his  jaws,  it  chanced  he  was 
in  no  hurry  for  his  meal.  Dropping  the  limp  body  till  he  should  feel  more 
relish  for  it,  he  lay  down  to  rest  and  contemplate  the  waking  earth.  As 
he  lay,  the  sun  rose.  The  female  eagle  sailed  away  toward  Ringwaak. 
The  male  beat  up,  and  up,  high  above  the  ridge,  and  Red  Fox  paid  no 
more  attention  to  him. 

Suddenly  he  heard  a  sharp,  hissing  rush  of  great  wings  in  the  air 
just  above  him,  and  glanced  upward  astonished.  The  next  instant  he 
felt  a  buffeting  wind,  huge  wings  almost  smote  him  in  the  face, — and 
the  dead  woodchuck,  not  three  feet  away,  was  snatched  up  in  clutch- 
ing talons,  and  borne  off  in  the  air.  With  a  furious  snarl  he  jumped 
to  his  feet;  but  the  eagle,  with  the  prize  dangling  from  his  claws,  was 
already  far  out  of  reach,  slanting  down  majestically  toward  his  nest. 

The  insolence  and  daring  of  this  robbery  fixed  in  Red  Fox's  heart  a 
fierce  desire  for  vengeance.  He  stole  down  to  the  ravine  that  held  the 
eyrie,  and  prowled  about  for  hours,  seeking  a  place  where  he  could 
climb  to  the  ledge.  It  was  quite  inaccessible,  however;  and  the  eagles, 
knowing  this,  looked  down  upon  the  prowlings  with  disdainful  serenity. 
Then  he  mounted  the  near-by  cliff  and  peered  down  directly  into  the 
nest.  But  finding  himself  still  as  far  off  as  ever,  he  gave  up  the  hope 
of  an  immediate  settlement  of  his  grudge  and  lay  in  wait  for  the  chances 
of  the  wilderness. 

A  few  days  later,  while  Red  Fox  was  away  hunting  down  in  the 
valley,  the  fox-puppies  were  playing  just  in  the  mouth  of  the  den  when 
they  saw  their  slim  mother  among  the  rocks.  In  a  puppy-like  frolic 
of  welcome  they  rushed  to  meet  her,  feeling  secure  in  her  nearness. 
When  they  were  half-way  across  the  open  in  front  of  the  den,  there  came 
a  sudden  shadow  above  them.  Like  a  flash  they  scattered, — all  but 
one,  who  crouched  flat  and  stared  irresolutely.  There  was  a  dreadful 
whistling  sound  in  the  air,  a  pounce  of  great,  flapping  wings  and  wide 
reaching  talons,  a  strangled  yelp  of  terror.    And  before  the  mother  fox'a 


258  ORAL  ENGLISH 

leap  could  reach  the  spot,  the  red  puppy  was  snatched  up  and  carried 
away  to  the  beaks  of  the  eaglets. 

When  he  learned  about  this,  Red  Fox  felt  such  fury  as  his  philosophic 
spirit  had  never  known  before.  He  paid  another  futile  visit  to  the  foot 
of  the  eagles^  rock;  and  afterwards,  for  days,  wasted  much  time  from 
his  hunting  in  the  effort  to  devise  some  means  of  getting  at  his  foe. 

It  was  one  day  when  he  was  not  thinking  of  eagles  or  of  vengeance 
that  Red  Fox^s  opportunity  came.  Toward  evening  as  he  lay  watching 
for  a  wary  old  woodchuck  to  venture  from  its  hole,  he  caught  sight  of 
a  huge  black  snake  gliding  slowly  across  the  open  glade.  He  hesitated, 
in  doubt  whether  to  attack  the  snake  or  keep  on  waiting  for  the  wood- 
chuck.  Just  then  came  that  whistling  sound  in  the  air  which  he  knew 
so  well.  The  snake  heard  it,  too,  and  darted  toward  the  nearest  tree. 
It  had  barely  reached  the  foot  of  the  tree  when  the  feathery  thunder- 
bolt out  of  the  sky  fell  upon  it,  clutching  it  securely  with  both  talons 
about  a  foot  behind  the  head. 

Easily  and  effectively  had  the  eagle  made  his  capture;  but,  when  he 
tried  to  rise  with  his  prey,  his  broad  wings  beat  the  air  in  vain.  At  the 
instant  of  the  attack  the  snake  had  whipped  a  couple  of  coils  of  its  tail 
around  the  young  tree,  and  that  desperate  grip  the  eagle  could  not 
break.  Savagely  he  picked  at  the  coils,  and  then  at  the  reptile's  head, 
preparing  to  take  the  prize  off  in  sections  if  necessary. 

Red  Fox's  moment,  long  looked  for,  had  come.  His  rush  from  cover 
was  straight  and  low,  and  swift  as  a  dart;  and  his  jaws  caught  the  eagle 
a  slashing  cut  on  the  upper  leg.  Fox-like,  he  bit  and  let  go;  and  the 
great  bird  with  a  yelp  of  pain  and  amazement,  whirled  about,  striking 
at  him  furiously  with  beak  and  wings.  He  got  one  buffet  from  those 
wings  which  knocked  him  over;  and  the  eagle,  willing  to  shirk  the  con- 
flict, disengaged  his  talons  from  the  snake  and  tried  to  rise.  But  in 
an  instant  Red  Fox  was  upon  him  again,  reaching  up  for  his  neck  with 
a  lightning-like  ferocity  that  disconcerted  the  bird's  defense.  At  such 
close  quarters  the  bird's  wings  were  ineffective,  but  his  rending  beak 
and  steel-like  talons  found  their  mark  in  Red  Fox's  beautiful  ruddy 
coat,  which  was  dyed  with  crimson  in  a  second. 

For  most  foxes  the  king  of  the  air  would  have  proved  more  than  a 
match;  but  the  strength  and  cleverness  of  Red  Fox  put  the  chance  of 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  259 

battle  heavily  in  his  favor.  In  a  few  seconds  he  would  have  had  the 
eagle  overborne  and  helpless,  and  would  have  reached  his  throat  in 
spite  of  beak  and  claw;  but  at  this  critical  moment  the  bird  found  an 
unexpected  and  undeserved  ally. 

The  snake  which  he  had  attacked,  being  desperately  wounded,  was 
thrashing  about  in  the  effort  to  get  away  to  some  hiding.  Red  Fox 
happened  to  step  upon  it  in  the  struggle;  and  instantly,  though  blindly, 
it  threw  a  convulsive  coil  about  his  hind  legs.  Angrily  he  turned,  and 
bit  at  the  constricting  coil.  And  while  he  was  tearing  at  it,  seeking  to 
free  himself,  the  eagle  recovered,  raised  himself  with  difficulty,  and 
succeeded  in  flopping  up  into  the  air.  Bedraggled,  bloody,  and  abjectly 
humiliated,  he  went  beating  over  the  forest  toward  home;  and  Red 
Fox,  fairly  well  satisfied  in  spite  of  the  incompleteness  of  his  victory, 
proceeded  to  refresh  himself  by  a  hearty  meal  of  snake.  He  felt  rea- 
sonably certain  that  the  big  eagle  would  give  both  himseK  and  his 
family  a  wide  berth  in  the  future. 

THE  PASSING  OF  CAPTAIN  JEWETT  ^ 

From  The  Cavalier.    By  George  W.  Cable 

In  the  Mississippi  campaign  of  the  Civil  War  Ferry's  Scouts,  a  band  of 
Confederates,  charging  down  a  broad  lane,  captured  a  score  of  the  Northern 
soldiers.  Captain  Jewett,  the  leader  of  the  Blue-coats,  was  mortally  wounded 
and  taken  to  the  Confederate  headquarters.  Realizing  that  his  end  was  near, 
the  Captain  asked  for  Charlotte  Oliver,  a  Southern  girl  at  the  headquarters, 
that  he  might  beg  her  to  bear  his  last  message  home  to  his  wife.  One  of  the 
scouts,  named  Smith,  gives  the  following  account  of  the  final  hours  of  the 
Captain. 

As  Charlotte  once  more  wiped  the  damp  brow,  the  captive  said,  with 
much  labor,  "After  that — war  seems — an  awful  thing.  I  suppose  it 
isn't  half  so  much  a  crime — as  it  is  a — ^penalty — for  the  crimes  that 
bring  it  on.  But  anyhow — ^you  know — being — "  The  bugle  rang  out 
the  reveille. 

''Being  a  soldier,"  said  Charlotte,  "you  want  to  die  like  one?" 
"Yes,  oh,  yes! — the  best  I  can.     I'd  like  to  sit  half  up — and  hold  my 
sword — if  there's — no  objection.     I've  loved  it  so!    It  would  almost  be 

^  Copyright,  1901,  by  Charles  Scribner's  Sons  and  reprinted  by  their 
permission. 


260  ORAL  ENGLISH 

like  holding — the  hand  that's  far  away.  Of  course,  it  isn't  really  neces- 
sary, but — it  would  be  more  like — dying — for  my  country." 

He  would  not  have  it  in  the  scabbard,  and  when  I  laid  it  naked  in 
his  hand  he  kissed  the  hilt.  Charlotte  sent  Gholson  for  Ned  Ferry. 
Glancing  from  the  window,  I  noticed  that  for  some  better  convenience 
our  scouts  had  left  the  grove,  and  the  prisoners  had  been  marched  in 
and  huddled  close  to  the  veranda-steps,  under  their  heavy  marching- 
guard  of  Louisianians.  One  of  the  blue-coats  called  up  to  me  softly: 
** Dying — ^really?"    He  turned  to  his  fellows — " Boys,  Captain's  dying." 

Every  Northern  eye  was  lifted  to  the  window  and  I  turned  away. 
'' Richard!"  gently  called  Charlotte,  and  I  saw  the  end  was  at  hand;  a 
new  anguish  was  on  the  brow;  yet  the  soldier  was  asking  for  a  song; 
**a  soldier's  song,  will  you?" 

^'Why,  Captain,"  she  replied,  ''you  know,  we  don't  sing  the  same 
words  to  our  soldier-songs  that  you  do — except  in  the  hymns.  Shall  I 
sing  'Am  I  a  soldier  of  the  cross?'" 

He  did  not  answer  promptly;  but  when  he  did  he  said,  "Yes — sing 
that." 

She  sang  it.  As  the  second  stanza  was  begun  we  heard  a  responsive 
swell  grow  softly  to  fuller  and  fuller  volume  beneath  the  windows,  the 
prisoners  were  singing.  I  heard  an  austere  voice  forbid  it,  but  it  rose 
straight  on  from  strength  to  strength: 

"Sure  I  must  fight  if  I  would  win, 

Increase  my  courage.  Lord. 
I'll  bear  the  toil,  endure  the  pain, 

Supported  by  thy  word." 

The  dying  man  lifted  a  hand  and  Charlotte  ceased.  He  had  not 
heard  the  muffled  chorus  of  his  followers  below;  or  it  may  be  that  he 
had,  and  that  the  degree  of  liberty  they  seemed  to  be  enjoying  prompted 
him  to  seek  the  new  favor  he  now  asked.  I  did  not  catch  his  words, 
but  Charlotte  heard,  and  ansov^ered  tenderly,  yet  with  a  thrill  of  pain  so 
keen  she  could  not  conceal  it  even  from  him. 

"Oh!  you  wouldn't  ask  a  rebel  to  sing  that,"  she  sighed,  "would  you?" 
He  made  no  rejoinder  except  that  his  eyes  were  insistent.    She  wiped 
his  temples.    "I  hate  to  refuse  you." 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  261 

His  gaze  was  grateful.  She  spoke  again:  ''I  suppose  I  oughtn't  to 
mind  it." 

Miss  Harper  came  in,  and  Charlotte,  taking  her  hand  without  a 
glance,  told  the  Captain's  hard  request  under  her  voice.  Miss  Harper, 
too,  in  her  turn,  gave  a  start  of  pain,  but  when  the  dying  eyes  and 
smile  turned  pleadingly  to  her  she  said,  ''Why,  if  you  can,  Charlotte, 
dear,  but  oh!  how  can  you?" 

Charlotte  addressed  the  wounded  man:  ''Just  a  little  bit  of  it,  will 
that  do?"  and  as  he  eagerly  assented  she  added,  to  Miss  Harper,  "You 
know,  dear,  in  its  history  it's  no  more  theirs  than  ours." 

"No,  not  so  much,"  said  Miss  Harper,  with  a  gleam  of  pride;  and 
thereupon  it  was  my  amazement  to  hear  Charlotte  begin  guardedly  to 

sing: 

"O  say,  can  you  see,  by  the  dawn's  early  light 

What  so  proudly  we  hailed  at  the  twilight's  last  gleaming?" 
But  guardedly  as  she  began,  the  effect  on  the  huddled  crowd  below 
was  instant  and  electrical.  They  heard  almost  the  first  note;  looking 
down  anxiously,  I  saw  the  wonder  and  enthusiasm  pass  from  man  to 
man.  They  heard  the  first  two  lines  in  awed,  ecstatic  silence;  but  at 
the  third,  warily,  first  one,  then  three,  then  a  dozen,  then  a  score,  bereft 
of  arms,  standard,  and  leader,  little  counting  ever  again  to  see  freedom, 
flag,  or  home,  they  raised  their  voices,  by  the  dawn's  early  light,  in 
their  song  of  songs. 

Our  main  body  were  out  in  the  highway,  just  facing  into  column, 
and  the  effect  on  them  I  could  not  see.  The  prisoners'  guards,  though  in- 
stantly ablaze  with  indignation,  were  so  taken  by  surprise  that  for  two 
or  three  seconds,  with  carbines  at  a  ready,  they — and  even  their  sergeant 
in  command — only  darted  fierce  looks  here  and  there  and  up  at  me. 
The  prisoners  must  have  been  used  to  singing  in  ordered  chorus,  for  one 
of  them  strode  into  their  middle,  and  smiling  sturdily  at  the  maddened 
guard  and  me,  led  the  song  evenly.  "No,  sir!"  he  said,  as  I  made  an 
angry  sign  for  them  to  desist,  "one  verse  through,  if  every  one  of  us  dies 
for  it — let  the  Captain  hear  it,  boys — sing! 

"'The  rockets'  red  glare,  the  bombs  bursting  in  air — '" 
Charlotte  had  ceased,  in  consternation  not  for  the  conditions  without 
more  than  for  those  within.    With  the  first  strong  swell  of  the  song 


262  ORAL  ENGLISH 

from  below,  the  dying  leader  strove  to  sit  upright  and  to  lift  his  blade, 
but  failed  and  would  have  slammed  back  upon  the  pillows  had  not 
she  and  Miss  Harper  saved  him.  He  lay  in  their  arms  gasping  his  last, 
yet  clutching  his  sabre  with  a  quivering  hand  and  listening  on  with 
rapt  face  untroubled  by  the  fiery  tumult  of  cries  that  broke  into  and 
over  the  strain. 

''Club  that  man  over  the  head!"  cries  the  sergeant  of  the  guard, 
and  one  of  his  men  swung  a  gun;  but  the  Yankee  sprang  inside  of  its 
sweep,  crying,  ''Sing  her  through,  boys!"  grappled  his  opponent,  and 
hurled  him  back.  In  the  same  instant  the  sergeant  called  steadily, 
"Guard,  ready — aim — " 

There  sounded  a  clean  slap  of  levelled  carbines,  yet  from  the  prisoners 
came  the  continued  song  in  its  closing  couplet : 

"The  star-spangled  banner!  O,  long  may  it  wave! — " 

and  out  of  the  midst  of  its  swell  the  oaths  and  curses  and  defiant  laughter 
of  a  dozen  men  crying,  with  tears  in  their  eyes,  "Shoot!  shoot!  why 
don't  you  shoot?" 

But  the  command  to  fire  did  not  come,  suddenly  there  was  a  drum- 
ming of  hoofs,  then  their  abrupt  stoppage,  and  the  voice  of  a  vigilant 
commander  called,  "Attention!" 

With  a  few  words  to  the  sergeant,  more  brief  than  harsh,  and  while 
the  indomitable  singers  pressed  on  to  the  very  close  of  the  stanza  with- 
out a  sign  from  him  to  desist.  Ferry  bade  the  subaltern  resume  his 
command,  and  turned  toward  me  at  the  window.  He  lifted  his  sword 
and  spoke  in  a  lowered  tone,  the  sullen  guard  stood  to  their  arms,  and 
every  captive  looked  up  for  my  reply. 

"Shall  I  come?"  he  inquired;  but  I  shook  my  head. 

"What! — gone?"  he  asked  again,  and  I  nodded. 

BURIAL  OF  DUNDEE 

From  Lays  of  Scottish  Cavaliers.    By  W.  E.  Aytoun 

On  the  heights  of  Killiecrankie 

Yester-morn  our  army  lay; 
Slowly  rose  the  mist  in  columns 

From  the  river's  broken  way; 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  263 

Hoarsely  roared  the  swollen  torrent, 

And  the  pass  was  wrapped  in  gloom, 
When  the  clansmen  rose  together 

From  their  lair  amidst  the  broom. 

Then  we  belted  on  our  tartans, 

And  om*  bonnets  down  we  drew, 
And  we  felt  our  broadswords'  edges, 

And  we  proved  them  to  be  true; 
And  we  prayed  the  prayer  of  soldiers. 

And  we  cried  the  gathering-cry. 
And  we  clasped  the  hands  of  kinsmen, 

And  we  swore  to  do  or  die! 

Then  our  leader  rode  before  us 

On  his  war-horse  black  as  night, — 
Well  the  Cameronian  rebels 

Knew  that  charger  in  the  fight ! — 
And  a  cry  of  exultation 

From  the  bearded  warriors  rose; 
For  we  loved  the  house  of  Claver'se, 

And  we  thought  of  good  Montrose, 

But  he  raised  his  hand  for  silence — 

''Soldiers!  I  have  sworn  a  vow: 
Ere  the  evening  star  shall  glisten 

On  Schehallion's  lofty  brow, 
Either  we  shall  rest  in  triumph, 

Or  another  of  the  Graemes 
Shall  have  died  in  battle-harness 

For  his  country  and  King  James! 

''Strike  this  day  as  if  the  anvil 

Lay  beneath  your  blows  the  while^ 
Be  they  covenanting  traitors 

Or  the  brood  of  false  Argyle! 


264  ORAL  ENGLISH 

Strike!  and  drive  the  trembling  rebels 
Backwards  o'er  the  stormy  Forth; 

Let  them  tell  their  pale  Convention 
How  they  fared  within  the  North. 

**Let  them  tell  that  Highland  honor 

Is  not  to  be  bought  or  sold, 
That  we  scorn  their  Prince's  anger 

As  we  loath  his  foreign  gold. 
Strike!  and  when  the  fight  is  over, 

If  ye  look  in  vain  for  me, 
Where  the  dead  are  lying  thickest, 

Search  for  him  that  was  Dundee!" 

Loudly  then  the  hills  re-echoed 

With  our  answers  to  his  call, 
But  a  deeper  echo  sounded 

In  the  bosoms  of  us  all. 
For  the  land  of  wide  Braedalbane, 

Not  a  man  who  heard  him  speak 
Would  that  day  have  left  the  battle. 

Flashing  eye  and  burning  cheek 
Told  the  clansmen's  fierce  emotion, 

And  they  harder  drew  their  breath; 
For  their  souls  were  strong  within  them, 

Stronger  than  the  grasp  of  death. 

Soon  we  heard  a  challenge-trumpet 

Sounding  in  the  Pass  below. 
And  the  distant  tramp  of  horses. 

And  the  voices  of  the  foe; 
Down  we  crouched  amid  the  bracken, 

Till  the  Lowland  ranks  drew  near, 
Panting  like  the  hounds  in  summer, 

When  they  scent  the  stately  deer. 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  266 

From  the  dark  defile  emerging, 

Next  we  saw  the  squadrons  oome, 
LesHe's  foot  and  Leven's  troopers 

Marching  to  the  tuck  of  drum; 
Through  the  scattered  wood  of  birches, 

O'er  the  broken  ground  and  heath, 
Wound  the  long  batallion  slowly. 

Till  they  gained  the  plain  beneath; 

Then  we  bounded  from  our  covert, — 

Judge  how  looked  the  Saxons  then, 
When  they  saw  the  rugged  mountains 

Start  to  life  with  armed  men ! 
Like  a  tempest  down  the  ridges 

Swept  the  hurricane  of  steel, 
Rose  the  slogan  of  Macdonald, — 

Flashed  the  broadsword  of  Lochiel! 

Vainly  sped  the  withering  volley 

'Mongst  the  foremost  of  our  band, — 
On  we  poured  until  we  met  them, 

Foot  to  foot  and  hand  to  hand. 
Horse  and  man  went  down  like  drift-wood 

When  the  floods  are  black  at  Yule, 
And  their  carcasses  are  whirling 

In  the  Garry's  deepest  pool. 
Horse  and  man  went  down  before  us, — 

living  foe  there  tarried  none 
On  the  field  of  Killiecrankie, 

When  that  stubborn  fight  was  done! 

And  the  evening  stai  was  shining 

On  Schehallion's  distant  head, 
When  we  wiped  our  bloody  broadswords, 

And  returned  to  count  the  dead. 


266  ORAL  ENGLISH 

Then  we  found  him  gashed  and  gory, 
Stretched  upon  the  cumbered  plain, 

As  he  told  us  where  to  seek  him, 
In  the  thickest  of  the  slain. 

And  a  smile  was  on  his  visage, 

For  within  his  dying  ear 
Pealed  the  joyful  note  of  triumph, 

And  the  clansmen^s  clamorous  cheer; 
So,  amidst  the  battle's  thunder. 

Shot,  and  steel,  and  scorching  flame, 
In  the  glory  of  his  manhood 

Passed  the  spirit  of  the  Grseme! 

RESCUED  FROM  THE  STADTHOUSE  TOWER 

From  The  Cloister  and  the  Hearth.    By  Charles  Reade 

Gerard,  the  son  of  a  Tergouw  mercer  living  in  the  fifteenth  century,  is 
designed  for  the  Church  where  a  good  benefice  is  promised  him.  He  falls 
in  love  with  Margaret  Brandt,  the  daughter  of  a  poor  scholar,  and  giving  up 
the  Church  career,  betroths  himself  to  her.  He  is  on  the  eve  of  marriage 
when  his  irate  father  imprisons  him  in  the  Stadthouse  Tower  for  his  dis- 
obedience, as  a  medieval  parent  had  power  to  do.  Martin,  Gerard's  faithful 
friend,  and  Margaret  Brandt  devise  a  plan  to  rescue  Gerard  from  the  tower. 

Gerard  was  taken  up  several  flights  of  stairs  and  thrust  into  a  small 
room  lighted  only  by  a  narrow  window  with  a  vertical  iron  bar.  The 
whole  furnitiire  was  a  huge  oak  chest.  Imprisonment  in  that  age  was 
one  of  the  high-roads  to  death,  for  it  implied  cold,  unbroken  solitude, 
torture,  starvation,  and  often  poison.  Gerard  felt  that  he  was  in  the 
hands  of  an  enemy.  And  he  kneeled  down  and  commended  his  soul  to 
God. 

Presently  he  rose  and  sprang  at  the  iron  bar  of  the  window,  and 
clutched  it.  This  enabled  him  to  look  out  by  pressing  his  knees  against 
the  wall.  Falling  back  somewhat  heavily,  he  wrenched  the  rusty  iron 
bar,  held  only  by  rusty  nails,  away  from  the  stonework  just  as  Ghys- 
brecht  Van  Swieten,  the  burgomaster,  opened  the  door  stealthily  be- 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  267 

hind  him.  He  brought  a  brown  loaf  and  a  pitcher  of  water,  and  set 
them  on  the  chest  in  solemn  silence.  Gerard's  first  impulse  was  to 
brain  him  with  the  iron  bar,  and  fly  down  stairs;  but  the  burgomaster, 
seeing  something  wicked  in  his  eye,  gave  a  little  cough,  and  three  stout 
fellows,  armed,  showed  themselves  directly  at  the  door. 

"  My  orders  are  to  keep  you  until  you  shall  bind  yourself  by  an  oath 
to  leave  Margaret  Brandt,  and  return  to  the  Church  to  which  you  have 
belonged  from  your  cradle.'* 

''Death  sooner." 

"With  all  my  heart."    And  the  burgomaster  retired. 

As  the  sun  declined,  Gerard's  heart  too  sank  and  sank;  with  the 
waning  light  even  the  embers  of  hope  went  out.  He  was  faint,  too, 
with  hunger;  for  he  was  afraid  to  eat  the  food  Ghysbrecht  had  brought 
him;  and  hunger  alone  cows  men.  He  sat  upon  the  chest,  his  arms  and 
his  head  drooping  before  him,  a  picture  of  dispondency.  Suddenly 
something  struck  the  wall  beyond  him  very  sharply,  and  then  rattled 
on  the  floor  at  his  feet.  It  was  an  arrow;  he  saw  the  white  feather.  A 
chill  ran  through  him, — they  meant  to  assassinate  him  from  the  outside. 
He  crouched.  No  more  missiles  came.  He  crawled  on  all  fours,  and 
took  up  the  arrow;  there  was  no  head  to  it.  He  uttered  a  cry  of  hope: 
had  a  friendly  hand  shot  it? 

He  took  it  up  and  felt  it  over;  he  felt  a  soft  substance  attached  to  it. 
Then  one  of  his  eccentricities  was  of  grand  use  to  him.  His  tinder-box 
enabled  him  to  strike  a  light;  it  showed  him  two  things  that  made  his 
heart  bound  with  delight.  Attached  to  the  arrow  was  a  skein  of  silk, 
and  on  the  arrow  itself  were  words  written.  How  his  eyes  devoured 
them,  his  heart  panting  the  while! 

Well-beloved,  make  fast  the  silk  to  thy  knife  and  lower  to  us:  but  hold 
thine  end  fast:  then  count  an  hundred  and  draw  up, 

Gerard  seized  the  oak  chest,  and  with  almost  superhuman  energy 
dragged  it  to  the  window.  Standing  on  the  chest  and  looking  down  he 
saw  figures  at  the  tower  foot.  They  were  so  indistinct  they  looked  like 
one  huge  form.  He  waved  his  bonnet  to  them  with  trembling  hand: 
then  he  undid  the  silk  rapidly  but  carefully,  and  made  one  end  fast  to 
his  knife  and  lowered  it  till  it  ceased  to  draw. 

Then  he  counted  a  hundred.    Then  pulled  the  silk  carefully  up:  it 


268  ORAL  ENGLISH 

came  up  a  little  heavier.  At  last  he  came  to  a  large  knot,  and  by  that 
knot  a  stout  whipcord  was  attached  to  the  silk.  What  could  this  mean? 
While  he  was  puzzling  himself,  Margaret's  voice  came  up  to  him,  low 
but  clear.  "Draw  up,  Gerard,  till  you  see  liberty.''  At  the  word, 
Gerard  drew  the  whipcord  line  up,  and  drew  and  drew  until  he  came  to 
another  knot,  and  found  a  cord  of  some  thickness  take  the  place  of  the 
whipcord.  He  had  no  sooner  begun  to  draw  this  up  than  he  found  that 
he  now  had  a  heavy  weight  to  deal  with.  Then  the  truth  suddenly 
flashed  upon  him,  and  he  went  to  work  and  pulled  and  pulled  till  the 
perspiration  rolled  down  him:  the  weight  got  heavier  and  heavier,  and 
at  last  he  was  well  nigh  exhausted;  looking  down  he  saw  in  the  moon- 
light a  sight  that  revived  him:  it  was  as  it  were  a  great  snake  coming 
up  to  him  out  of  the  deep  shadow  cast  by  the  tower. 

He  gave  a  shout  of  joy,  and  a  score  more  wild  pulls,  and  lo!  a  stout 
new  rope  touched  his  hand:  he  hauled  and  hauled,  and  dragged  the  end 
into  his  prison,  and  instantly  passed  it  through  both  handles  of  the  chest 
in  succession,  and  knotted  it  firmly;  then  sat  for  a  moment  to  recover  his 
breath  and  collect  his  courage.  The  first  thing  was  to  make  sure  that 
the  chest  was  sound,  and  capable  of  resisting  his  weight  poised  in  mid- 
air. He  jumped  with  all  his  force  upon  it.  At  the  third  jump  the  whole 
side  burst  open,  and  out  scuttled  the  contents,  a  host  of  parchments. 

This  shook  his  confidence  in  the  chest's  powers  of  resistance;  so  he 
gave  it  an  ally:  he  took  the  iron  bar  and  fastened  it  with  the  small  rope 
across  the  large  rope,  and  across  the  window.  He  now  mounted  the 
chest,  and  from  the  chest  put  his  foot  through  the  window,  and  sat  half 
in  and  half  out,  with  one  hand  on  that  part  of  the  rope  which  was  inside. 
In  the  silent  night  he  heard  his  own  heart  beat. 

The  free  air  breathed  on  his  face,  and  gave  him  the  courage  to  risk 
what  we  must  all  lose  one  day — for  liberty.  Many  dangers  awaited 
him,  but  the  greatest  was  the  first  getting  on  to  the  rope  outside.  Gerard 
reflected.  Finally,  he  put  himself  in  the  attitude  of  a  swimmer,  his  body 
to  the  waist  being  in  the  prison,  his  legs  outside.  Then  holding  the 
inside  rope  with  both  hands,  he  felt  anxiously  with  his  feet  for  the  out- 
side rope,  and,  when  he  had  got  it,  he  worked  it  in  between  the  soles  of 
his  feet,  and  kept  it  there  tight;  then  he  uttered  a  short  prayer,  and,  all 
the  calmer  for  it,  put  his  left  hand  on  the  sill  and  gradually  wriggled  out 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  26i 

Then  he  seized  the  iron  bar,  and  for  one  fearful  moment  hung  out* 
side  from  it  by  his  right  hand,  while  his  left  hand  felt  for  the  rope  down 
at  his  knees;  it  was  too  tight  against  the  wall  for  his  fingers  to  get  round 
it  higher  up.  The  moment  he  had  fairly  grasped  it,  he  left  the  bar,  and 
swiftly  seized  the  rope  with  his  right  hand  too;  but  in  this  maneuver  his 
body  necessarily  fell  about  a  yard.  A  stifled  cry  came  up  from  below. 
Gerard  hung  in  mid-air.  He  clenched  his  teeth,  and  nipped  the  rope 
tight  with  his  feet  and  gripped  it  with  his  hands,  and  went  down  slowly 
hand  below  hand. 

He  passed  by  one  huge  rough  stone  after  another.  He  saw  there 
was  green  moss  on  one.  He  looked  up  and  he  looked  down.  The  moon 
shone  into  his  prison  window;  it  seemed  very  near.  The  fluttering  fig- 
ures below  seemed  an  awful  distance.  It  made  him  dizzy  to  look  down: 
so  he  fixed  his  eyes  steadily  on  the  wall  close  to  him,  and  went  slowly 
down,  down,  down. 

He  passed  a  rusty,  slimy  streak  on  the  wall:  it  was  some  ten  feet  long. 
The  rope  made  his  hands  very  hot.    He  stole  another  look  up. 

The  prison  window  was  a  good  way  off  now. 

Down — down — down — down. 

The  rope  made  his  hands  sore. 

He  looked  up.  The  window  was  so  distant,  he  ventured  now  to  turn 
his  eyes  downward  again;  and  there,  not  more  than  thirty  feet  below 
him,  were  Margaret  and  Martin,  their  faithful  hands  upstretched  to 
catch  him  should  he  fall.  He  could  see  their  eyes  and  their  teeth  shine 
in  the  moonlight.  For  their  mouths  were  open,  and  they  were  breath- 
ing hard. 

"Take  care,  Gerard!    O,  take  care!    Look  not  down.^' 

"Fear  me  not,"  cried  Gerard,  joyfully,  and  eyed  the  wall,  but  came 
down  faster. 

In  another  minute  his  feet  were  at  their  hands.  They  seized  him  ere 
he  touched  the  ground,  and  all  three  clung  together  in  one  embrace. 


270  ORAL  ENGLISH 

THE  MIRACLE  OF  THE  PEACH-TREE  ^ 

From  Little  Novels  of  Italy.    By  Maurice  Hewlett 

Giovanna  Scarpa,  the  young  wife  of  a  Verona  ragpicker,  has  been  slandered 
and  nearly  mobbed  during  her  husband's  absence,  and  has  fled  from  the  city 
with  her  baby  in  her  arms. 

Directly  you  were  outside  the  Porta  San  Zeno  the  peach-trees  began 
— acre  by  acre  of  bent  trunks,  whose  long  branches,  tied  at  the  top, 
took  shapes  of  blown  candle-flames :  beyond  these  was  an  open  waste  of 
bents  and  juniper  scrub,  which  afforded  certain  eatage  for  goats. 

Here  three  herd-boys,  Luca,  Biagio,  and  Astorre,  simple  brown- 
skinned  souls,  watched  their  flocks  all  the  summer  night,  sleeping, 
waking  to  play  pranks  with  each  other,  whining  endless  doggerel,  pray- 
ing at  every  scare,  and  swearing  at  every  reassurance.  Simple  puppy ish 
folk  though  they  were,  Madonna  of  the  Peach-Tree  chose  them  to  wit- 
ness her  epiphany. 

It  was  a  very  still  night,  of  wonderful  star-shine,  but  without  a  moon. 
The  stars  were  so  thickly  spread,  so  clear  and  hot,  that  there  was  light 
enough  for  the  lads  to  see  each  other's  faces,  the  rough  shapes  of  each 
other.  It  was  light  enough  to  notice  how  the  square  belfry  of  San  Zeno 
cut  a  wedge  of  black  into  the  spangled  blue  vault.  Sheer  through  the 
Milky  Way  it  ploughed  a  broad  furrow,  which  ended  in  a  ragged 
edge.  You  would  never  have  seen  that  if  it  had  not  been  a  clear 
night. 

Still  also  it  was.  You  heard  the  cropping  of  the  goats,  the  jaws' 
champ  when  they  chewed  the  crisp  leaves;  the  flicker  of  the  bats'  wings. 
In  the  marsh,  half  a  mile  away,  the  chorus  of  frogs,  when  it  swelled  up, 
drowned  all  nearer  noise;  but  when  it  broke  off  suddenly,  those  others 
resumed  their  hold  upon  the  stillness.  It  was  a  breathless  night  of 
suspense.    Anything  might  happen  on  such  a  night. 

Luca,  Biagio,  and  Astorre,  under  the  spell  of  this  marvelous  night, 
lay  on  their  stomachs  alert  for  alarms.  A  heavy-wheeling  white  owl 
had  come  by  with  a  swish,  and  Biagio  had  called  aloud  to  Madonna 
in  his  agony.    Astorre  had  crossed  himself  over  and  over  again:  this 

^Reprinted  by  permission  of  the  author. 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  271 

was  the  Angel  of  Death  cruising  abroad  on  the  hunt  for  goats  or  goat- 
herds; but  ^'No,  no!"  cried  Luca,  eldest  of  the  three,  "The  wings  are 
too  short,  friends.  That  is  a  fluffy  new  soul  just  let  loose.  She  knows 
not  the  way,  you  see.  Let  us  pray  for  her.  There  are  devils  abroad 
on  such  close  nights  as  this." 

Pray  they  did,  with  a  will,  "Ave  Maria,"  "0  maris  Stella,"  and  half 
the  Paternoster,  when  Biagio  burst  into  a  guffaw,  and  gave  Luca  a 
push  which  sent  Astorre  down. 

"Why,  'tis  only  a  screech-owl,  you  fools!"  he  cried,  though  the  sound 
of  his  own  voice  made  him  falter;  "an  old  mouse-teaser,"  he  went  on 
in  a  much  lower  voice.    "Who's  afraid?" 

A  black  and  white  cat  making  a  pounce  had  sent  hearts  to  mouths 
after  this:  though  they  found  her  out  before  they  had  got  to  "Dominus 
tecum,"  she  left  them  all  in  a  quiver.  It  had  been  a  cat,  but  it  might 
have  been  the  devil.  Then,  before  the  bristles  had  folded  down  on  their 
backs,  they  rose  up  again,  and  the  hair  of  their  heads  became  rigid  as 
quills.  Over  the  brow  of  a  little  hill,  through  the  peach-trees  (which 
bowed  their  spiry  heads  to  her  as  she  walked),  came  quietly  a  tall  white 
Lady  in  a  dark  cloak.  Hey!  powers  of  earth  and  air,  but  this  was  not  to 
be  doubted!  Evenly  forward  she  came,  without  a  footfall,  without  a 
rustle  or  the  crackling  of  a  twig,  without  so  much  as  kneeing  her  skirt — 
stood  before  them  so  nearly  that  they  saw  the  pale  oval  of  her  face,  and 
said  in  a  voice  like  a  muffled  bell,  "I  am  hungry,  my  friends;  have  you 
any  meat?"  She  had  a  face  like  the  moon,  and  great  round  eyes;  within 
her  cloak,  on  the  bosom  of  her  white  dress,  she  held  a  man-child.  He, 
they  passed  their  sacred  word,  lifted  in  his  mother's  arms  and  turned 
open-handed  towards  them.  Luca,  Biagio,  and  Astorre,  goat-herds 
all  and  honest  lads,  fell  on  their  faces  with  one  accord;  with  one  voice 
they  cried,  "Madonna,  Madonna,  Madonna!  pray  for  us  sinners!" 

But  again  the  Lady  spoke  in  her  gentle  tones,  "I  am  very  hungry, 
and  my  child  is  hungry.  Have  you  nothing  to  give  me?"  So  then 
Luca  kicked  the  prone  Biagio,  and  Biagio's  heel  nicked  Astorre  on  the 
shin.  But  it  was  Luca,  as  became  the  eldest,  who  got  up  first,  all  the 
same;  and  as  soon  as  he  was  on  his  feet  the  others  followed  him.  Luca 
took  his  cap  off,  Biagio  saw  the  act  and  followed  it.  Astorre,  who  dared 
not  lift  his  eyes,  and  was  so  busy  making  crosses  on  himself  that  he  had 


272  ORAL  ENGLISH 

no  hands  to  spare,  kept  his  on  till  Luca  nudged  Biagio,  and  Biagio 
cuffed  him  soundly,  saying,  '' Uncover,  cow-face.'^ 

Then  Luca  on  his  knees  made  an  offering  of  cheese  and  black  bread 
to  the  Lady.  They  saw  the  gleam  of  her  white  hand  as  she  stretched 
it  out  to  take  the  victual.  That  hand  shone  like  agate  in  the  dark. 
They  saw  her  eat,  sitting  very  straight  and  noble  upon  a  tussock  of 
bents.  Astorre  whispered  to  Biagio,  Biagio  consulted  with  Luca  for  a 
few  anxious  moments,  and  communicated  again  with  Astorre.  Astorre 
jumped  up  and  scuttled  away  in  the  dark.  Presently  he  came  back, 
bearing  something  in  his  two  hands.  The  three  shock-heads  inspected 
his  burden;  there  was  much  whispering,  some  contention,  almost  a 
scuffle.  The  truth  was,  that  Biagio  wanted  to  take  the  thing  from 
Astorre,  and  that  Luca  would  not  allow  it.  Luca  was  the  eldest  and 
wanted  to  take  it  himself.  Astorre  was  in  tears.  ^^Cristo  amore!^'  he 
blubbered,  "you  will  spill  the  milk  between  you.  I  thought  of  it  all  by 
myself.  Let  go,  Biagio;  let  go,  Luca!''  So  they  whispered  and  tussled, 
pulling  three  different  ways.  The  Lady's  voice  broke  over  them  like 
silver  rain.  "Let  him  who  thought  of  the  kind  act  give  me  the  milk," 
she  said;  so  young  Astorre  on  his  knees  handed  her  the  horn  cup,  and 
through  the  cracks  of  his  fingers  watched  her  drink  every  drop. 

That  done,  the  cup  returned  with  a  smile  piercingly  sweet,  the  Lady 
rose.  Saints  on  thrones,  how  tall  she  was!  "The  himho  will  thank  you 
for  this  to-morrow,  as  I  do  now,"  said  she.  "Good-night,  my  friends, 
and  may  the  good  God  have  mercy  upon  all  souls!"  She  turned  to  go 
the  way  she  had  come,  but  Astorre,  covering  his  eyes  with  one  hand, 
crept  forward  on  three  legs  (as  you  might  say)  and  plucked  the  hem  of 
her  robe  up,  and  kissed  it.  She  stooped  to  lay  a  hand  upon  his  head. 
"Never  kiss  my  robe,  Astorre,"  said  she — and  how  under  Heaven  did 
she  know  his  name  if  she  were  not  what  she  was? — "never  kiss  my  robe, 
but  get  up  and  let  me  kiss  you."  Well  of  Truth!  to  think  of  it!  Up 
gets  Astorre,  shaking  like  a  nun  in  a  fit,  and  the  Lady  bent  over  him 
and,  as  sure  as  you  are  you,  kissed  his  forehead.  Astorre  told  his  village 
next  day  as  they  sat  round  him  in  a  ring,  and  he  on  the  well-head  as 
plain  to  be  seen  as  this  paper,  that  he  felt  at  that  moment  as  if  two  rose- 
leaves  had  dropped  from  heaven  upon  his  forehead.  Slowly  then,  very 
slowly  and  smoothly  (as  they  report),  did  the  Lady  move  away  towards 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  273 

the  peach-trees  whence  she  had  come.  In  the  half  light  there  was — for 
by  this  it  was  the  hour  before  dawn — they  saw  her  take  a  peach  from 
one  of  the  trees.  She  stayed  to  eat  it.  Then  she  walked  over  the  crest 
of  the  orchard  and  disappeared.  As  soon  as  they  dared,  when  the  light 
had  come,  they  looked  for  her  over  that  same  crest,  but  could  see  nothing 
whatever.  With  pale,  serious  faces  the  three  youths  regarded  each  other. 
There  was  no  doubt  as  to  what  had  happened — a  miracle!  a  miracle! 

With  one  consent  then — since  this  was  plainly  a  Church  affair — 
they  ran  to  their  parish  priest,  Don  Gasparo.  He  got  the  whole  story 
at  last;  nothing  could  shake  them;  no  detail  was  wanting.  Thus  it  was: 
the  Blessed  Virgin,  carrying  in  her  arms  the  Santissimo  Bambino  Gesu, 
had  come  through  the  peach-trees,  asked  for  and  eaten  of  their  food, 
prayed  for  them  aloud  to  Messer  Domeneddio  himself,  and  kissed  As- 
torre  on  the  forehead.  As  they  were  on  their  knees,  she  walked  away, 
stopped,  took  a  peach,  ate  it,  walked  on,  vanished — ecco!  The  curate 
rubbed  his  head,  and  tried  another  boy.  Useless :  the  story  was  the  same. 
Third  boy,  same  story.  He  tucked  up  his  cassock  with  decision,  took 
his  biretta  and  walking-staff,  and  said  to  the  three  goat-herds: — 

**My  lads,  all  this  is  matter  of  miracle.  I  do  not  deny  its  truth — 
God  forbid  it  in  a  simple  man  such  as  I  am.  But  I  do  certainly  ask 
you  to  lead  me  to  the  scene  of  your  labors." 

The  boys  needed  no  second  asking:  off  they  all  set.  The  curate  went 
over  every  inch  of  the  ground.  Here  lay  Luca,  Biagio,  and  Astorre; 
the  belfry  of  San  Zeno  was  in  such  and  such  a  direction,  the  peach-trees 
in  such  and  such.  Good:  there  they  were.  What  next?  According 
to  their  account.  Madonna  had  come  thus  and  thus.  The  good  curate 
bundled  off  to  spy  for  footprints  in  the  orchard.  Marvel!  there  were 
none.  This,  made  him  look  very  grave;  for  if  she  made  no  earthly  foot- 
prints, she  could  have  no  earthly  feet.  Next  he  must  see  by  what  way 
she  had  gone.  She  left  them  kneeling  here,  said  they,  went  towards  the 
peach-garden,  stayed  by  a  certain  tree  (which  they  pointed  out),  plucked 
a  peach  from  the  very  top  of  it — this  they  swore  to,  though  the  tree  was 
near  fourteen  feet  high — stood  while  she  ate  it,  and  went  over  the  brow 
of  the  rising  ground.  Here  was  detail  enough,  it  is  to  be  hoped.  The 
curate  nosed  it  out  like  a  slot-hound;  he  paced  the  track  himself  from 
the  scrub  to  the  peach-tree,  and  stood  under  this  last  gazing  to  its  top, 


274  ORAL  ENGLISH 

from  there  to  its  roots;  he  shook  his  head  many  times,  stroked  his  chin 
a  few;  then  with  a  broken  cry  he  made  a  pounce  and  picked  up — a 
peach-stone!  After  this  to  doubt  would  have  been  childish;  as  a  fact 
he  had  no  more  than  the  boys. 

*'My  children/'  said  he,  ^'we  are  here  face  to  face  with  a  great  mys- 
tery. It  is  plain  that  Messer  Domeneddio  hath  designs  upon  this  ham- 
let, of  which  we.  His  worms,  have  no  conception.  You,  my  dear  sons. 
He  hath  chosen  to  be  workers  for  His  purpose,  which  we  cannot  be  very 
far  wrong  in  supposing  to  be  the  building  of  an  oratory  or  tabernacle 
to  hold  this  unspeakable  relic.  That  erection  must  be  our  immediate, 
anxious  care.  Meantime  I  will  place  the  relic  in  the  pyx  of  our  Lady's 
altar,  and  mark  the  day  in  our  calendar  for  perpetual  remembrance. 
I  shall  not  fail  to  communicate  with  his  holiness  the  bishop.  Who 
knows  what  may  be  the  end  of  this?" 

He  was  as  good  as  his  word.  A  procession  was  formed  in  no  time — 
children  carrying  their  rosaries  and  bunches  of  flowers,  three  banners, 
the  whole  village  with  a  candle  apiece;  next  Luca,  Biagio,  and  Astorre 
with  larger  candles — half  a  pound  weight  each  at  the  least;  then  four 
men  to  hold  up  a  canopy,  below  which  came  the  good  curate  himself 
with  the  relic  on  a  cushion. 

It  was  deposited  with  great  reverence  in  the  place  devoted,  having 
been  drenched  with  incense.  There  was  a  solemn  mass.  After  which 
things  the  curate  thought  himself  at  liberty  to  ruffle  into  Verona  with 
the  news. 

ANTELOPE  THE  SIOUX  SCOUT  ^ 

Abridged  from  Old  Indian  Days.    By  C.  Alexander  Eastman 

On  a  hot  midsummer  morning  while  most  of  the  inmates  of  the  tepees 
in  the  Sioux  camp  were  breakfasting  in  the  open  air,  the  powerful  voice 
of  the  herald  chanted,  ^'Hear  ye,  hear  ye,  warriors!  The  council  has 
decreed  that  four  brave  young  men  must  scout  the  country  for  the 
peace  and  protection  of  our  people!" 

All  listened  eagerly  for  the  names  of  the  chosen  warriors,  and  in 
another  moment  there  came  the  sonorous  call:  "Antelope,  Antelope! 
the  council  has  selected  you!" 

^  Reprinted  by  permission  of  Doubleday  Page  and  Company. 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  275 

In  due  time  the  four  chosen  yOuths  appeared  before  the  council  fire. 
The  oath  of  the  pipe  was  administered,  and  each  took  a  few  whiffs  as 
reverently  as  a  churchman  would  partake  of  the  sacrament. 

It  was  a  peculiarly  trying  and  hazardous  moment  in  which  to  per- 
form the  duties  of  a  scout.  The  Sioux  were  encroaching  upon  the  ter- 
ritory of  hostile  tribes,  here  in  the  foot-hills  of  the  Big  Horn  Mountains. 
If  continued  vigilance  could  not  save  them,  it  might  become  necessary 
to  retreat  to  their  own  hunting  grounds. 

Antelope  had  been  running  for  two  or  three  hours  at  a  good,  even  gait, 
and  had  crossed  more  than  one  of  the  smaller  creeks.  His  keen  eyes 
were  constantly  sweeping  the  country  in  his  front.  Suddenly  he  paused 
and  shrank  back  motionless,  still  keeping  an  eye  upon  a  moving  object. 
It  was  soon  evident  that  some  one  was  stealthily  eyeing  him  from  behind 
cover.  Stooping,  he  glided  down  a  little  ravine,  and  as  he  reached  the 
bed  of  the  creek  there  emerged  from  it  a  large,  gray  wolf. 

This  was  very  opportune  for  Antelope.  He  gave  the  gray  wolf's 
danger-call,  then  he  turned  and  ran  fleetly  down  the  stream.  At  the 
same  moment  the  wolf  appeared  upon  the  top  of  the  bank,  in  full  view  of 
the  enemy. 

"Here  he  comes!"  they  whispered,  and  had  their  arrows  on  the  string 
as  the  wolf  trotted  leisurely  along,  exposing  only  his  head,  for  this  was 
a  common  disguise  among  the  plains  Indians.  But  when  he  came  into 
the  open,  behold!  it  was  only  a  gray  wolf  I 

"Ugh!"  the  Utes  grunted.  "Surely  he  was  a  man,  and  coming  di- 
rectly into  our  trap!  Either  he  is  a  Sioux  in  disguise,  or  we  don't  know 
their  tricks!"  exclaimed  the  leader. 

Now  they  gave  the  war-whoop,  and  their  arrows  flew  through  the  air. 
The  wolf  gave  a  j'clp  of  distress,  staggered  and  fell  dead.  Instantly  they 
ran  to  examine  the  body,  and  found  it  to  be  truly  that  of  a  wolf. 

"Either  this  is  a  wonderful  medicine-man,  or  we  are  shamefully 
fooled  by  a  Sioux  warrior,"  they  muttered. 

They  lost  several  minutes  before  they  caught  sight  of  Antelope.  It 
would  be  safer  for  him  to  remain  in  concealment  until  dark;  but  in 
the  meantime  the  Ute  warriors  would  reach  the  camp,  and  his  people 
were  unprepared!  It  was  necessary  to  expose  himself  to  the  enemy. 
He  knew  that  it  would  be  chiefly  a  contest  of  speed  and  he  had  an  ex- 


276  ORAL  ENGLISH 

cellent  start;  but  on  the  other  hand,  the  Utes  doubtless  had  theii 
horses. 

''The  Sioux  who  has  played  this  trick  on  us  must  die  to-day!"  ex- 
claimed their  leader.  ''Come,  friends,  we  cannot  afford  to  let  him  tell 
this  joke  on  us  at  the  camp-fires  of  his  people! '^ 

Antelope  was  headed  directly  for  Eagle  Scout  Butte,  for  the  Sioux 
camp  was  in  plain  view  from  the  top  of  this  hill. 

"I  shall  reach  the  summit  first,  unless  the  Ute  horses  have  wings!" 
he  said  to  himself. 

Looking  over  his  shoulder,  he  saw  five  horsemen  approaching,  so  he 
examined  his  bow  and  arrows  as  he  ran.  Now  he  was  within  hearing  of 
their  whoops,  but  he  was  already  at  the  foot  of  the  butte.  Their  horses 
could  not  run  up  the  steep  ascent,  and  they  were  obliged  to  dismount. 
Like  a  deer  the  Sioux  leaped  from  rock  to  rock,  and  almost  within 
arrow-shot  came  his  pursuers. 

When  he  achieved  the  summit,  he  took  his  stand  between  two  great 
rocks,  and  flashed  his  tiny  looking-glass  for  a  distress  signal  into  the 
distant  camp  of  his  people.  He  sent  down  a  swift  arrow  now  and  then, 
to  show  the  Utes  that  he  was  no  child  or  woman  in  fight.  They  replied 
with  yells  of  triumph,  as  they  pressed  more  closely  upon  him.  From 
time  to  time  he  continued  to  flash  his  signal,  and  at  last  like  lightning 
the  little  white  flash  came  in  reply. 

The  sun  was  low  when  the  besieged  warrior  discovered  a  large  body 
of  horsemen  approaching  from  the  northwest.  It  was  the  Ute  war- 
party!  He  looked  earnestly  once  more  toward  the  Sioux  camp.  There, 
too,  were  many  moving  specks  upon  the  plain,  drawing  toward  the 
foot  of  the  hill! 

When  the  Sioux  warriors  reached  the  well-known  butte,  they  could 
distinguish  their  enemies  massed  behind  the  hanging  rocks  and  scattered 
cedar-trees,  crawling  up  closer  and  closer,  for  the  Ute  war-party  reached 
the  hill  just  as  the  scouts  who  held  Antelope  at  bay  discovered  the  ap- 
proach of  his  kinsmen. 

Antelope  had  long  since  exhausted  his  quiver  of  arrows  and  was  gather- 
ing up  many  of  those  that  fell  about  him  to  send  them  back  among  his 
pursuers.  When  their  attention  was  withdrawn  from  him  for  an  instant 
by  the  sudden  onset  of  the  Sioux,  he  sprang  to  his  feet. 


SELECTIONS  FOB  PRACTICE 


277 


He  raised  both  his  hands  heavenward  in  token  of  gratitude  for  his 
liescue,  and  his  friends  announced  with  loud  shouts  the  daring  of  An- 
|telope. 

Both  sides  fought  bravely,  but  the  Utes  at  last  retreated  and  were 

fiercely  pursued.    Antelope  stood  at  his  full  height  upon  the  huge  rock 

Ithat  had  sheltered  him,  and  gave  his  yell  of  defiance  and  exultation 

Below  him  the  warriors  took  it  up,  and  among  the  gathering  shadows 

the  rocks  echoed  praises  of  his  name. 

In  the  Sioux  camp  upon  Lost  Water  there  were  dances  and  praise 
songs,  but  there  was  wailing  and  mourning,  too,  for  many  lay  dead 
among  the  crags.  The  name  of  Antelope  was  indelibly  recorded  upon 
Eagle  Scout  Butte.  If  he  wished  for  a  war-bonnet  of  eagle  feathers,  it 
was  his  to  wear. 

PIRATES  1 
From  Collected  Poems.    By  Alfred  Noyeb 

Come  to  me,  you  with  the  laughing  face,  in  the  night  as  I  lie 
Dreaming  of  the  days  that  are  dead  and  of  joys  gone  by; 
Come  to  me,  comrade,  come  through  the  slow-dripping  rain, 
Come  from  your  grave  in  the  darkness  and  let  us  be  playmates  again. 

Let  us  be  boys  together  to-night,  and  pretend  as  of  old 

We  are  pirates  at  rest  in  a  cave  among  huge  heaps  of  gold. 

Red  Spanish  doubloons  and  great  pieces  of  eight,  and  muskets  and 

swords. 
And  a  smoky  red  camp-fire  to  glint,  you  know  how,  on  our  ill-gotten 

hoards. 

The  old  cave  in  the  fir-wood  that  slopes  down  the  hills  to  the  sea 

Still  is  haunted,  perhaps,  by  young  pirates  as  wicked  as  we: 

Though  the  fir  with  the  magpie's  big  mud-plastered  nest  used  to  hide  it 

so  well. 
And  the  boys  in  the  gang  had  to  swear  that  they  never  would  tell. 

Ah,  that  tree;  I  have  sat  in  its  boughs  and  looked  seaward  for  hours; 
I  remember  the  creak  of  its  branches;  the  scent  of  the  flowers 

1  Copyright,  1913,  Frederick  A.  Stokes  and  Company  and  reprinted  h^ 
their  permission. 


278  ORAL  ENGLISH 

That  climbed  round  the  mouth  of  the  cave:  it  is  odd  I  recall 
Those  little  things  best,  that  I  scarcely  took  heed  of  at  all. 

I  remember  how  brightly  the  brass  on  the  butt  of  my  spy-glass  gleamed 
As  I  climbed  the  purple  heather  and  thyme  to  our  eyrie  and  dreamed; 
I  remember  the  smooth  glossy  sun-bum  that  darkened  our  faces  and 

hands 
As  we  gazed  at  the  merchantmen  sailing  away  to  those  wonderful  lands. 

I  remember  the  long  sigh  of  the  sea  as  we  raced  in  the  sun, 
To  dry  ourselves  after  our  swimming;  and  how  we  would  run 
With  a  cry  and  a  crash  through  the  foam  as  it  creamed  on  the  shore, 
Then  to  bask  in  the  warm  dry  gold  of  the  sand  once  more. 

Come  to  me;  you  with  the  laughing  face;  in  the  gloom  as  I  lie 
Dreaming  of  the  days  that  are  dead  and  of  joys  gone  by; 
Let  us  be  boys  together  to-night  and  pretend  as  of  old 
We  are  pirates  at  rest  in  a  cave  among  great  heaps  of  gold. 

Come;  you  shall  be  chief;  we'll  not  quarrel:  the  time  flies  so  fast: 
There  are  ships  to  be  grappled,  there's  blood  to  be  shed,  ere  our  play- 
time be  past: 
No;  perhaps  we  will  quarrel,  just  once,  or  it  scarcely  will  seem 
So  like  the  old  days  that  have  flown  from  us  both  like  a  dream. 

Still;  you  shall  be  chief  in  the  end;  and  then  we'll  go  home 
To  the  hearth  and  the  tea  and  the  books  that  we  loved:  ah,  but  come, 
Come  to  me,  come  through  the  dark  and  the  slow-dripping  rain; 
Come,  old  friend,  come  from  your  grave  and  let  us  be  playmates  again. 

NANDI  LION  HUNTING  1 

From  African  Game  Trails.    By  Theodore  Roosevelt 

At  Sergoi  Lake  (in  East  Africa)  there  is  a  store  kept  by  Mr.  Kirke, 
a  South  African  of  Scotch  blood.  With  a  kind  courtesy  which  I  cannot 
too  highly  appreciate  he,  with  the  equally  cordial  help  of  another  settler, 
Mr.  Skally — also  a  South  African,  but  of  Irish  birth — and  of  the  District 

^  Copyright,  1909,  by  Charles  Scribner's  Sons.  Reprinted  in  this  volumfl 
by  special  arrangement  with  Charles  Scribner's  Sons. 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  279 

Commissioner,  Mr.  Corbett,  had  arranged  for  a  party  of  Nandi  warriors 
to  come  over  and  show  me  how  they  hunted  the  lion.  Two  Dutch 
farmers,  Boers,  from  the  neighborhood,  had  also  come;  they  were  Messrs. 
Mouton  and  Jordaan,  fine  fellows  both,  the  former  having  served  with 
De  Wet  during  the  war.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Corbett — who  were  hospitality 
itself — had  also  come  to  see  the  sport;  and  so  had  Captain  Chapman, 
an  English  army  officer  who  was  taking  a  rest  after  several  years^  service 
in  Northern  Nigeria. 

The  Nandi  are  a  warlike  pastoral  tribe,  close  kin  to  the  Masai  in 
blood  and  tongue,  in  weapons  and  in  manner  of  life.  They  have  long 
been  accustomed  to  kill  with  the  spear  lions  which  became  man-eaters 
or  which  molest  their  cattle  overmuch;  and  the  peace  which  British  rule 
has  imposed  upon  them — a  peace  so  welcome  to  the  weaker,  so  irksome 
to  the  predatory,  tribes — has  left  lion  killing  one  of  the  few  pursuits  in 
which  glory  can  be  won  by  a  young  warrior.  When  it  was  told  them 
that  if  they  wished  they  could  come  to  hunt  lions  at  Sergoi  eight  hun- 
dred warriors  volunteered,  and  much  heart-burning  was  caused  in 
choosing  the  sixty  or  seventy  who  were  allowed  the  privilege.  They 
stipulated,  however,  that  they  should  not  be  used  merely  as  beaters, 
but  should  kill  the  lion  themselves,  and  refused  to  come  unless  with  this 
understanding. 

*********** 

They  were  splendid  savages,  stark  naked,  lithe  as  panthers,  the  muscles 
rippling  under  their  smooth  dark  skins;  all  their  lives  they  had  lived 
on  nothing  but  animal  food,  milk,  blood,  and  flesh,  and  they  were  fit 
for  any  fatigue  or  danger.  Their  faces  were  proud,  cruel,  fearless;  as 
they  ran  they  moved  with  long  springy  strides.  Their  head-dresses 
were  fantastic;  they  carried  ox-hide  shields,  painted  with  strange  de- 
vices; and  each  bore  in  his  right  hand  the  formidable  war  spear,  used 
both  for  stabbing  and  for  throwing  at  close  quarters.  The  narrow  spear 
heads  of  soft  iron  were  burnished  till  they  shone  like  silver;  they  were 
four  feet  long,  and  the  point  and  edges  were  razor  sharp.  The  wooden 
haft  appeared  for  but  a  few  inches;  the  long  butt  was  also  of  iron,  end- 
ing in  a  spike,  so  that  the  spear  looked  almost  solid  metal.  Yet  each 
sinewy  warrior  carried  his  heavy  weapon  as  if  it  were  a  toy,  twirling 
it  till  it  glinted  in  the  sun-rays.    Herds  of  game,  red  hartebeests,  and 


280  ORAL  ENGLISH 

striped  zebra  and  wild  swine,  fled  right  and  left  before  the  advance  of 
the  line. 

It  was  noon  before  we  reached  a  wide,  shallow  valley,  with  beds  of 
rushes  here  and  there  in  the  middle,  and  on  either  side  high  grass  and 
dwarfed  and  scattered  thorn-trees.  Down  this  we  beat  for  a  couple  of 
miles.  Then,  suddenly,  a  maned  lion  rose  a  quarter  of  a  mile  ahead  of 
the  line  and  galloped  off  through  the  high  grass  to  the  right;  and  all  of 
us  on  horseback  tore  after  him. 

He  was  a  magnificent  beast,  with  a  black  and  tawny  mane;  in  his 
prime,  teeth  and  claws  perfect,  with  mighty  thews  and  savage  heart. 
He  was  lying  near  a  hartebeest  on  which  he  had  been  feasting;  his  life 
had  been  one  unbroken  career  of  rapine  and  violence;  and  now  the 
maned  master  of  the  wilderness,  the  terror  that  stalked  by  night,  the 
grim  lord  of  slaughter,  was  to  meet  his  doom  at  the  hands  of  the  only 
foes  who  dared  molest  him. 

It  was  a  mile  before  we  brought  him  to  bay.  Then  the  Dutch  farmer, 
Moulton,  who  had  not  even  a  rifle,  but  who  rode  foremost,  was  almost 
on  him;  he  halted  and  turned  under  a  low  thorn-tree,  and  we  galloped 
past  him  to  the  opposite  side,  to  hold  him  until  the  spearmen  could 
come.  It  was  a  sore  temptation  to  shoot  him;  but  of  course  we  could  not 
break  faith  with  our  Nandi  friends.  We  were  only  some  sixty  yards 
from  him,  and  we  watched  him  with  our  rifles  ready,  lest  he  should 
charge  either  us,  or  the  first  two  or  three  spearmen,  before  their  compan- 
ions arrived. 

One  by  one  the  spearmen  came  up,  at  a  run,  and  gradually  began  to 
form  a  ring  around  him.  Each,  when  he  came  near  enough,  crouched 
behind  his  shield,  his  spear  in  his  right  hand,  his  fierce,  eager  face  peering 
over  the  shield  rim.  As  man  followed  man,  the  lion  rose  to  his  feet. 
His  mane  bristled,  his  tail  lashed,  he  held  his  head  low,  the  upper  lip 
now  drooping  over  the  jaws,  now  drawn  up  so  as  to  show  the  gleam  of 
the  long  fangs.  He  faced  first  one  way  and  then  another,  and  never 
ceased  to  utter  his  murderous  grunting  roars.  It  was  a  wild  sight;  the 
ring  of  spearmen,  intent,  silent,  bent  on  blood,  and  in  the  centre  the 
great  man-killing  beast,  his  thunderous  wrath  growing  ever  more 
dangerous. 

At  last  the  tense  ring  was  complete,  and  the  spearmen  arose  and  closed 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  281 

in.  The  lion  looked  quickly  from  side  to  side,  saw  where  the  line  was 
thinnest,  and  charged  at  his  topmost  speed.  The  crowded  moment 
began.  With  shields  held  steady,  and  quivering  spears  poised,  the  men 
in  front  braced  themselves  for  the  rush  and  the  shock;  and  from  either 
hand  the  warriors  sprang  forward  to  take  their  foe  in  flank. 

Bounding  ahead  of  his  fellows,  the  leader  reached  throwing  distance; 
the  long  spear  flickered  and  plunged;  as  the  lion  felt  the  wound  he  half 
turned,  and  then  flung  himself  on  the  man  in  front.  The  warrior  threw 
his  spear;  it  drove  deep  into  the  life,  for  entering  at  one  shoulder  it 
came  out  of  the  opposite  flank,  near  the  thigh,  a  yard  of  steel  through 
th€  great  body. 

Rearing,  the  lion  struck  the  man,  bearing  down  the  shield^  his  back 
arched;  and  for  a  moment  he  slaked  his  fury  with  fang  and  talon.  But 
on  the  instant  I  saw  another  spear  driven  clear  through  his  body  from 
side  to  side;  and  as  the  lion  turned  again  the  bright  spear  blades  darting 
toward  him  were  flashes  of  white  flame.  The  end  had  come.  He  seized 
another  man,  who  stabbed  him  and  wrenched  loose.  As  he  fefl  he 
gripped  a  spear-head  in  his  jaws  with  such  tremendous  force  that  he 
bent  it  double.  Then  the  warriors  were  round  and  over  him,  stabbing 
and  shouting,  wild  with  furious  exultation. 

From  the  moment  when  he  charged  until  his  death  I  doubt  whether 
ten  seconds  had  elapsed,  perhaps  less;  but  what  a  ten  seconds!  The  first 
half-dozen  spears  had  done  the  work.  Three  of  the  spear  blades  had 
gone  clear  through  the  body,  the  points  projecting  several  inches;  and 
these,  and  one  or  two  others,  including  the  one  he  had  seized  in  his 
jaws,  had  been  twisted  out  of  shape  in  the  terrible  death  struggle. 

We  at  once  attended  to  the  two  wounded  men.  Treating  their  wounds 
with  antiseptic  was  painful,  and  so,  while  the  operation  was  in  progress, 
I  told  them,  through  Kirke,  that  I  would  give  each  a  heifer.  A  Nandi 
prizes  his  cattle  rather  more  than  his  wives;  and  each  sufferer  smiled 
broadly  at  the  news,  and  forgot  all  about  the  pain  of  his  wounds. 

Then  the  wan-iors,  raising  their  shields  above  their  heads,  and  chanting 
the  deep-toned  victory  song,  marched  with  a  slow,  dancing  step  around 
the  dead  body  of  the  lion;  and  this  savage  dance  of  triumph  ended  a 
scene  of  as  fierce  interest  and  excitement  as  I  ever  hope  to  Bee. 


282  ORAL  ENGLISH 

THE  KING'S  TRAGEDY 

Abridged  from  Ballads  and  Sonnets.    By  Dante  Gabriel  Rossetti 

Note.  Tradition  says  that  Catherine  Douglas,  in  honor  of  her  heroic 
act  when  she  barred  the  door  with  her  arm  against  the  murderers  of  James 
the  First  of  Scots,  received  popularly  the  name  of  "Barlass."  This  name  is 
retained  by  her  descendants,  the  Barlass  family,  in  Scotland,  who  bear  for 
their  crest  a  broken  arm. 

I,  Catherine,  am  a  Douglas  bom, 

A  name  to  all  Scots  dear; 
And  Kate  Barlass  they  Ve  called  me  now 

Through  many  a  waning  year. 

This  old  arm's  withered  now.    'Twas  once 

Most  deft  'mong  maidens  all 
To  rein  the  steed,  to  wing  the  shaft, 

ToiSmite  the  palm-play  ball. 

Aye,  lasses,  draw  round  Kate  Barlass, 

And  hark  with  bated  breath 
How  good  King  James,  King  Robert's  son. 

Was  foully  done  to  death. 

'Twas  in  the  Charterhouse  of  Perth 

That  the  king  and  all  his  Court 
Were  met,  the  Christmas  Feast  being  done. 

For  solace  and  disport. 

And  the  queen  was  there,  more- stately  fair 

Than  a  lily  in  garden  set; 
And  the  king  was  loth  to  stir  from  her  side 
For  as  on  the  day  when  she  was  his  bride, 
%  Even  so  he  loved  her  yet. 

And  the  Earl  of  Athole,  the  King's  false  friend, 

Sat  with  him  at  the  board; 
And  Robert  Stuart  the  chamberlain 

Who  sold  his  sovereign  Lord. 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  283 

With  reverence  meet  to  King  and  Queen, 

To  bed  went  all  from  the  board; 
And  the  last  to  leave  the  courtly  train 
Was  Robert  Stuart  the  chamberlain 

Who  had  sold  his  sovereign  lord. 

And  all  the  locks  of  the  chamber-door 

Had  the  traitor  riven  and  brast; 
And  that  Fate  might  win  sure  way  from  afar, 
He  had  drawn  out  every  bolt  and  bar 

That  made  the  entrance  fast. 

And  now  at  midnight  he  stole  his  way 

To  the  moat  of  the  outer  wall, 
And  laid  strong  hurdles  closely  across 

Where  the  traitors'  tread  should  fall. 

But  we  that  were  the  Queen's  bower-maids 

Alone  were  left  behind; 
And  with  heed  we  drew  the  curtains  close 

Against  the  winter  wind. 

And  now  that  all  was  still  through  the  hall, 

More  clearly  we  heard  the  rain 
That  clamored  ever  against  the  glass 

And  the  boughs  that  beat  on  the  pane. 

And  now  there  came  a  torchlight-glare, 

And  a  clang  of  arms  there  came; 
And  not  a  soul  in  that  space  but  thought 

Of  the  foe  Sir  Robert  Graeme. 

Yea,  from  the  country  of  the  Wild  Scots, 

O  'er  mountain,  valley,  and  glen. 
He  had  brought  with  him  in  murderous  league 

Three  hundred  armed  men.] 


284  ORAL  ENGLISH 

The  King  knew  all  in  an  instant's  flash, 

And  like  a  king  did  he  stand; 
But  there  was  no  armor  in  all  the  room, 

Nor  weapon  lay  to  his  hand. 

And  all  we  women  flew  to  the  door 
And  thought  to  have  it  made  fast; 

But  the  bolts  were  gone  and  the  bars  were  gone 
And  the  locks  were  riven  and  brast. 

And  he  caught  the  pale,  pale  Queen  in  his  arms 

As  the  iron  foot-step  fell, — 
Then  loosed  her,  standing  alone,  and  said, 

''Our  bliss  was  our  farewell!" 

And  'twixt  his  lips  he  murmured  a  prayer, 

And  he  crossed  his  brow  and  breast; 
And  proudly  in  royal  hardihood 
Even  so  with  folded  arms  he  stood, — 
The  prize  of  the  bloody  quest. 

Then  on  me  leaped  the  Queen  like  a  deer: — 
''0  Catherine,  help!"  she  cried. 

And  low  at  his  feet  we  clasped  his  knees 
Together  side  by  side. 

"Oh!  even  a  king,  for  his  people's  sake, 
From  treasonous  death  must  hide!" 

"For  her  sake  most!"  I  cried,  and  marked 
The  pang  that  my  words  could  wring, 

And  the  iron  tongs  from  the  chimney-nook 
I  snatched  and  held  to  the  King: — 

"Wrench  up  the  plank!  and  the  vault  beneath 
Shall  yield  safe  harboring." 

With  brows  low-bent,  from  my  eager  hand 
The  heavy  heft  did  he  take; 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE 


285 


And  the  plank  at  his  feet  he  wrenched  and  tore; 
And  as  he  frowned  through  the  opep  floor, 
Again  I  said,  "For  her  sake!" 

Then  he  cried  to  the  Queen,  "God's  will  be  done!" 
For  her  hands  were  clasped  in  prayer. 

And  down  he  sprang  to  the  inner  crypt; 

And  straight  we  closed  the  plank  he  had  ripped 
And  toiled  to  smoothe  it  fair. 

Then  the  Queen  cried,  "Catherine,  keep  the  door, 

And  I  to  this  will  suffice! '^ 
At  her  word  I  rose  all  dazed  to  my  feet. 

And  my  heart  was  fire  and  ice. 

And  now  the  rush  was  heard  on  the  stair, 
And  "God,  what  help?''  was  our  cry. 

And  was  I  frenzied  or  was  I  bold? 

I  looked  at  each  empty  stanchion-hold, 
And  no  bar  but  my  arm  had  I! 

Like  iron  felt  my  arm,  as  through 

The  staple  I  made  it  pass: — 
Alack!  it  was  flesh  and  bone — no  more! 
'Twas  Catherine  Douglas  sprang  to  the  door, 

But  I  fell  back  Kate  Barlass. 

With  that  they  thronged  into  the  hall. 

Half  dim  to  my  failing  ken; 
And  the  space  that  was  but  a  void  before 

Was  a  crowd  of  wrathful  men. 


Behind  the  door  I  had  fall'n  and  lay. 
Yet  my  sense  was  wildly  aware. 

And  for  all  the  pain  of  my  shattered  arm 
I  never  fainted  there. 


286  ORAL  ENGLISH 

Even  as  I  fell,  my  eyes  were  cast 

Where  the  King  leaped  down  to  the  pit; 

And  lo!  the  plank  was  smooth  in  its  place, 
And  the  Queen  stood  far  from  it. 

And  under  the  litters  and  through  the  bed 

And  within  the  presses  all 
The  traitors  sought  for  the  King,  and  pierced 
The  arras  around  the  wall. 

And  through  the  chamber  they  ramped  and  stormed 

Like  lions  loose  in  the  lair, 
And  scarce  could  trust  to  their  very  eyes, — 

For  behold!    no  King  was  there. 

And  forth  flowed  all  the  throng  like  a  sea, 
And  'twas  empty  space  once  more; 

And  my  eyes  sought  out  the  wounded  Queen 
As  I  lay  behind  the  door. 

And  I  said,  "Dear  Lady,  leave  me  here. 

For  I  cannot  help  you  now; 
But  fly  while  you  may,  and  none  shall  reck 

Of  my  place  here  lying  low." 

And  now  again  came  the  armed  tread, 

And  fast  through  the  hall  it  fell; 
But  the  throng  was  less;  and  ere  I  saw. 

By  the  voice  without  I  could  tell 
That  Robert  Stuart  had  come  with  them 

Who  knew  that  chamber  well. 

And  Stuart  held  a  torch  to  the  floor. 
And  he  found  the  thing  he  sought; 

And  they  slashed  the  plank  away  with  their  swords; 
And  0  God!  I  fainted  not! 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  287 

O  God!  what  more  did  I  see, 

Or  how  should  I  tell  the  rest? 
But  there  at  length  our  King  lay  slain 

With  sixteen  wounds  in  his  breast. 

Ah  me!  and  now  did  a  bell  boom  forth, 

And  the  murderers  turned  and  fled; — 
Too  late,  too  late,  alas,  did  it  sound! — 
And  I  heard  the  true  men  mustering  round, 

And  the  cries  and  the  mustering  tread. 

'Twas  in  the  Charterhouse  of  Perth, 

In  the  fair-lit  Death-chapelle, 
That  the  slain  King's  corpse  on  bier  was  laid 

With  chaunt  and  requiem-knell. 

In  his  robes  of  state  he  lay  asleep 

With  orb  and  sceptre  in  hand; 
And  by  the  crown  he  wore  on  his  throne 

Was  his  kingly  forehead  spanned. 

And  the  Queen  sat  by  him  night  and  day, 

And  oft  she  knelt  in  prayer. 
All  wan  and  pale  in  the  widow^s  veil 

That  shrouded  her  shining  hair. 

And  the  month  of  March  wore  nigh  to  its  end. 
And  still  was  the  death-pall  spread;  ' 

For  she  would  not  bury  her  slaughtered  lord 
Till  his  slayers  all  were  dead. 

And  now  of  their  dooms  dread  tidings  came. 

And  of  torments  fierce  and  dire; 
And  nought  she  spake, — she  had  ceased  to  speak,— 

But  her  eyes  were  a  soul  on  fire. 

But  when  I  told  her  the  bitter  end 

Of  the  stern  and  just  reward. 
She  leaned  o'er  the  bier,  and  thrice  three  times 

She  kissed  the  lips  of  her  lord. 


288  ORAL  ENGLISH 

And  then  she  said, — ''My  King,  they  are  dead!" 

And  she  knelt  on  the  chapel-floor. 
And  whispered  low  with  a  strange  proud  smile, — 

''James,  James,  they  suffered  more!'' 

And  "O  James!"  she  said, — "My  James!"  she  said,- 

"Alas  for  the  woful  thing. 
That  a  poet  true  and  a  friend  of  man, 
In  desperate  days  of  bale  and  ban,* 

Should  needs  be  born  a  King!" 


DIRECTNESS  IN  DELIVERY 

The  old  style  declamatory  method  of  speaking  has  passed 
away,  as  has,  also,  tearing  of  passions  to  tatters  by  ranting 
actors.  Occasionally  an  over-zealous  speaker  mistakes  vo- 
ciferous delivery  for  eloquence,  but  the  best  speakers  of  to- 
day are  simple,  direct  and  colloquial  in  their  utterances.  In 
making  your  delivery  direct,  avoid  robbing  it  of  vitality. 
Keep  the  undercurrent  of  vitality,  consider  your  audience 
as  being  near  at  hand,  and  appeal  directly  to  them.  Exem- 
plify directness  in  the  following  selections. 


AT  ABBOTSFORD  WITH  SCOTT  i 
From  Crayon  Miscellany.    By  Washington  Irving 

I  had  a  letter  of  introduction  to  him  from  Thomas  Campbell,  the 
poet,  and  had  reason  to  think,  from  the  interest  he  had  taken  in  some 
of  my  earlier  scribblings,  that  a  visit  from  me  would  not  be  deemed  an 
intrusion. 

On  the  following  morning,  after  an  early  breakfast,  I  set  off  in  a  post- 
chaise  for  the  Abbey.  On  the  way  thither  I  stopped  at  the  gate  of 
Abbotsford,  and  sent  the  postilion  to  the  house  with  the  letter  of  intro- 
duction and  my  card,  on  which  I  had  written  that  I  was  on  my  way  to 
the  ruins  of  Melrose  Abbey,  and  wished  to  know  whether  it  would  be 
agreeable  to  Mr.  Scott  (he  had  not  yet  been  made  a  baronet)  to  receive 
a  visit  from  me  in  the  course  of  the  morning. 

In  a  little  while  the  ^'lord  of  the  castle"  himself  made  his  appearance. 
I  knew  him  at  once  by  the  descriptions  I  had  read  and  heard,  and  the 
likeness  that  had  been  published  of  him.  He  was  tall,  and  of  a  large 
and  powerful  frame.  His  dress  was  simple,  and  almost  rustic:  an  old 
green  shooting-coat,  with  a  dog-whistle  at  his  button-hole,  brown 
linen  pantaloons,  stout  shoes  that  tied  at  the  ankles,  and  a  white  hat 
that  had  evidently  seen  service.  He  came  limping  up  the  gravel-walk, 
aiding  himself  by  a  stout  walking-staff,  but  moving  rapidly  and  with 
vigor.  By  his  side  jogged  along  a  large  iron-gray  stag-hound  of  most 
grave  demeanor. 

Before  Scott  had  reached  the  gate  he  called  out  in  a  hearty  tone,  wel- 
coming me  to  Abbotsford,  and  asking  news  of  Campbell.  Arrived  at  the 
door  of  the  chaise,  he  grasped  me  warmly  by  the  hand:  "Come,  drive 
down,  drive  down  to  the  house,"  said  he.  "  Ye're  just  in  time  for  break- 
fast, and  afterward  ye  shall  see  all  the  wonders  of  the  Abbey." 

I  would  have  excused  myself,  on  the  plea  of  having  already  made  my 

breakfast.    '*Hout,  man,"  cried  he,  "a  ride  in  the  morning  in  the  keen 

air  of  the  Scotch  hills  is  warrant  enough  for  a  second  breakfast."    I 

^  Reprinted  by  permission  of  G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons. 

291 


292  ORAL  ENGLISH 

was  accordingly  whirled  to  the  portal  of  the  cottage,  and  in  a  few  mo- 
ments found  myself  seated  at  the  breakfast  table. 

Scott  proposed  a  ramble  to  show  me  something  of  the  surrounding 
country.  As  we  sallied  forth,  every  dog  in  the  establishment  turned 
out  to  attend  us.  There  was  the  old  stag-hound  Maida,  a  noble  animal, 
and  a  great  favorite  of  Scott's;  and  Hamlet,  the  black  greyhound,  a 
wild  thoughtless  youngster;  and  Finette,  a  beautiful  setter,  with  soft 
silken  hair,  long  pendent  ears,  and  a  mild  eye,  the  parlor  favorite.  When 
in  front  of  the  house,  we  were  joined  by  a  superannuated  greyhound, 
who  came  from  the  kitchen  wagging  his  tail,  and  was  cheered  by  Scott 
as  an  old  friend  and  comrade.  Scott  would  frequently  pause  in  con- 
versation to  notice  his  dogs  and  speak  to  them,  as  if  rational  com- 
panions. 

We  had  not  walked  far  before  we  saw  the  two  Miss  Scotts  advancing 
along  the  hillside  to  meet  us.  The  morning's  studies  being  over,  they 
had  set  off  to  take  a  ramble  on  the  hills,  and  gather  heather-blossoms. 
As  they  came  bounding  lightly,  like  young  fawns,  and  their  dresses 
fluttering  in  the  pure  summer  breeze,  I  was  reminded  of  Scott's  own 
description  of  his  children  in  his  introduction  to  one  of  the  cantos  of 
"Marmion." 

As  they  approached,  the  dogs  all  sprang  forward  and  gamboled  around 
them.  They  played  v/ith  them  for  a  time,  and  then  joined  us  with 
countenances  full  of  health  and  glee.  Sophia,  the  elder,  was  the  more 
lively  and  joyous,  having  much  of  her  father's  varied  spirit  in  conver- 
sation, and  seeming  to  catch  excitement  from  his  words  and  looks.  Ann 
was  of  quieter  mood,  rather  silent,  owing,  in  some  measure,  no  doubt, 
to  her  being  some  years  younger. 

At  the  dinner  Scott  had  laid  by  his  half-rustic  dress,  and  appeared 
clad  in  black.  The  girls,  too,  in  completing  their  toilet,  had  twisted  in 
their  hair  the  sprigs  of  purple  heather  which  they  had  gathered  on  the 
hillside,  and  looked  all  fresh  and  blooming  from  their  breezy  walk. 

There  was  no  guest  at  dinner  but  myself.  Around  the  table  were 
two  or  three  dogs  in  attendance.  Maida,  the  old  stag-hound,  took  his 
seat  at  Scott's  elbow,  looking  up  wistfully  in  his  master's  eye,  while 
Finette,  the  pet  spaniel,  placed  herself  near  Mrs.  Scott,  by  whom,  I 
soon  perceived,  she  was  completely  spoiled. 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  293 

After  dinner  we  adjourned  to  the  drawing  room,  which  served  also 
for  study  and  Hbrary.  Against  the  wall  on  one  side  was  a  long  writing 
table,  with  drawers;  surmounted  by  a  small  cabinet  of  polished  wood, 
with  folding-drawers  richly  studded  with  brass  ornaments,  within  which 
Scott  kept  his  most  valuable  papers.  Above  the  cabinet,  in  a  kind  of 
niche,  was  a  complete  corselet  of  glittering  steel,  with  a  closed  helmet, 
and  flanked  by  gauntlets  and  battle-axes. 

Around  were  hung  trophies  and  relics  of  various  kinds;  a  simitar  of 
Tipu  Sahib;  a  Highland  broadsword  from  Flodden  field;  a  pair  of  Rip- 
pon  spurs  from  Bannockburn,  and  above  all,  a  gun  which  had  belonged 
to  Rob  Roy,  and  bore  the  initials,  R.  M.  C.  an  object  of  peculiar  interest 
to  me  at  the  time,  as  it  was  understood  Scott  was  actually  engaged  in 
printing  a  novel  founded  on  the  story  of  that  famous  outlaw. 

On  each  side  of  the  cabinet  were  bookcases,  well  stored  with  works 
of  romantic  fiction  in  various  languages,  many  of  them  rare  and  anti- 
quated. This,  however,  was  merely  his  cottage  library,  the  principal 
part  of  his  books  being  at  Edinburgh. 

The  evening  passed  away  delightfully  in  this  quaint-looking  apart- 
ment. Scott  had  read  several  passages  from  the  old  romances  of  Arthur, 
with  a  fine,  deep,  sonorous  voice,  and  a  gravity  of  tone  that  seemed  to 
suit  the  antiquated  black-letter  volume.  It  was  a  rich  treat  to  hear 
such  a  work,  read  by  such  a  person,  and  in  such  a  place;  and  his  ap- 
pearance as  he  sat  reading,  in  a  large  armed  chair,  with  his  favorite 
hound,  Maida,  at  his  feet  and  surrounded  by  books  and  relics,  and 
border  trophies,  would  have  formed  an  admirable  and  most  character- 
istic picture. 

A  MORNING  IN  AN  AFRICAN  VILLAGE  i 

Abridged  from  A  Voice  from  the  Congo.    By  Herbert  Ward 

Ibenza  is  the  name  of  the  village.  It  is  situated  in  the  heart  of  the 
great  African  forest,  fifteen  hundred  miles  from  ocean  shores.  The 
population  is  small,  for  the  native  communities  of  this  wild  region  are 
wanting  in  the  elements  of  union. 

*********** 

^Copyright,  1910,  by  Charles  Scribner's  Sons.  Reprinted  by  special  ar« 
rangement  with  these  publishers. 


294  ORAL  ENGLISH 

It  is  early  morning — dark,  damp  and  cold.  A  white  mist  hangi 
heavily  over  the  ground,  enveloping  the  huts  and  all  the  lower  growths 
of  foliage  in  ghostly  mystery. 

Men  and  women  crawl  forth  from  their  tiny  grass  huts,  yawning  and 
stretching  themselves  after  their  night's  deep  slumber.  The  morning 
mists  soon  disappear  and  the  village  gradually  becomes  animated. 
Children,  light-hearted  and  joyous,  commence  to  gambol  in  every  direc- 
tion; some  with  their  mimic  bows  and  arrows  shoot  at  the  prowling 
pariah  dogs. 

*********** 

The  morning  meal,  consisting  of  a  few  ears  of  maise  and  half -smoked 
fish,  is  soon  over.  Then  follows  the  departure  of  nearly  all  the  women; 
they  vanish  into  their  forest  plantations  in  quest  of  food  and  firewood. 
The  men  gradually  assemble  in  front  of  the  chief's  hut  to  hear  the  pub- 
lic discussions  of  the  day. 

These  palaver  meetings  are  dear  to  all  Central  AfricanSo  They  take 
keen  delight  in  oratory,  which  may  in  fact  be  said  to  constitute  one  of 
their  important  arts.  They  talk  fluently  and  employ  many  metaphorical 
and  flowery  expressions.  Possessing  a  natural  gift  of  rude  eloquence, 
it  is  greatly  enhanced  in  effect  by  the  soft  inflections  and  the  harmo- 
nious euphony  of  their  language;  they  reason  well  and  display  great 
aptitude  for  debate. 

The  case  before  the  court  to-day  relates  to  the  death  of  a  young  slave 
girl.  She  was  recently  seized  by  a  crocodile,  while  bathing  in  the  river. 
About  two  hundred  men  and  boys  in  semi-nakedness,  seat  themselves 
in  a  circle  in  front  of  their  chief,  a  large-boned  truculent-looking  man, 
decorated  with  heavy  iron  anklets  and  bracelets,  sitting  cross-legged 
upon  a  leopard  skin. 

The  former  owner  of  the  deceased  slave  steps  forward;  striking  his 
spear  blade  downwards  in  the  ground  in  front  of  him,  he  produces  in 
his  right  hand  a  number  of  small  pieces  of  split  bamboo.  Speaking 
fluently  and  with  simple  gesture  he  caps  each  point  of  his  oration  by 
selecting  one  of  his  small  sticks  and  placing  it  upon  the  ground  in  front 
of  him.  In  brief,  his  speech  relates  first  to  his  early  fife,  and  in  monot- 
onous rotation,  and  with  a  careless  indifference  to  relevancy,  he  enum* 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  295 

8rates  all. the  most  memorable  and  favorable  events  of  his  own  life, 
down  to  the  time  when  he  purchased  the  deceased  slave.  He  then  re- 
lates the  history  of  the  unfortunate  slave-girl's  untimely  end. 

^' Death  is  not  a  natural  event,''  he  continued,  in  the  flowery  idiom 
of  his  language.  *'Some  person  with  an  evil  heart  has  been  in  com- 
munication with  the  crocodile  that  deprived  me  of  my  slave.  An  evil 
spirit,  born  of  envy  or  malice,  has  entered  the  soul  of  some  person  in 
this  village  and  has  been  communicated  to  the  crocodile.  It  may  even 
be  that  some  revengeful  man  or  woman  has  actually  become  trans- 
formed into  the  shape  of  a  crocodile  to  do  me  harm.  An  evil  spirit  has 
been  at  work,  and  I  call  upon  our  Nganga,  our  wise  and  clever  witch- 
doctor, to  seek  it." 

His  speech  is  ended,  and  upon  the  ground  at  his  feet  lies  the  row  of 
small  sticks  which  have  served  as  memoranda. 

No  sooner  has  the  first  speech  concluded  than  another  orator  com- 
mences, with  a  different  line  of  argument;  suggesting  that  the  slave 
girl  had  offended  the  great  Evil  Spirit,  and  that  the  angry  ''Ndoki" 
had  sent  his  emissary  the  crocodile  to  punish  her. 

Other  men,  with  yet  more  strangely  superstitious  views,  hasten  to 
gain  the  attention  of  the  company;  the  discussion  grows  heated,  and 
voices  are  suddenly  raised  in  anger.  An  imminent  brawl  is,  however, 
diverted  by  the  timely  appearance  of  several  women  upon  the  scene. 
They  carry  large  earthen- ware  jars  of  fermented  sugar-cane  juice.  The 
hubbub  ceases;  the  natives  forgetful  of  their  differences  crowd  forward 
and  drink  the  intoxicating  liquid  and  their  voices  assume  a  more  friendly 
tone.    The  sun  is  now  at  its  zenith  and  the  heat  is  intense. 

Suddenly  all  eyes  are  directed  towards  a  forest  path.  A  jingle  of 
iron  bells,  a  stamping  of  feet,  and  from  a  cloud  of  dust  there  springs 
the  grotesque  figure  of  the  Fetish  Man.  Wild-cat  skins  dangle  from 
his  waist.  His  eyelids  are  whitened  with  chalk.  His  body  is  smeared 
with  the  blood  of  a  fresh-killed  fowl.  His  feather  head-dress  flutters 
as  he  dances.  His  charms  and  metal  ornaments  clank  and  jingle  as 
he  bounds  and  springs  hither  and  thither  somewhat  after  the  manner 
of  a  harlequin. 

Wildly  he  dances,  stamping  his  feet  and  wriggling  his  body  as  though 
his  waist  was  a  hinge;  the  company,  squatting  round  him  in  a  circle, 


296  ORAL  ENGLISH 

meanwhile  chant  a  monotonous  dirge-like  song  and  clap  their  hands  in 
unison.  At  length,  bathed  in  perspiration,  dusty  and  bedraggled,  the 
Fetish  Man  with  a  gesture  of  his  hand  commands  silence.  With  high 
prancing  steps  and  swaying  shoulders  he  passes  slowly  around  the  com- 
pany directing  searching  looks  into  many  faces.  In  a  falsetto  voice, 
still  swaying  his  body,  he  states  that  he  has  come  to  seek  an  evil  spirit, 
that  he  seeks  the  person  who  is  guilty  of  having  taken  the  form  of  a 
crocodile  to  kill  a  woman. 

''It  is  a  woman,"  says  he  with  a  fiendish  grin,  changing  the  tone  of 
his  voice  from  shrill  falsetto  to  deep  bass,  "a  woman,  an  old  woman, 
who  was  envious  of  the  good  favor  shown  to  the  dead  girl  by  her 
master." 

Stooping  low,  he  places  his  ear  to  the  ground,  and  carries  on  an  imag- 
inary conversation.  He  pretends  to  consult  a  spirit  in  the  earth. 
Then  rising,  he  walks  with  measured  prancing  steps  in  the  direction  of 
a  poor  forlorn-looking  woman.  Pointing  towards  her,  he  makes  a 
hideous  grimace  and  in  a  sepulchral  tone  of  voice  he  condemns  her  as 
being  the  guilty  person.  The  wretched  woman  shrieks,  springs  to  her 
feet,  and  turns  to  flee.  Too  late.  A  spear  instantly  glistens  in  the  air, 
it  strikes  her  in  the  back,  and  with  a  moan  of  pain  she  falls  heavily  to 
the  ground.  During  the  ensuing  uproar  her  body  is  dragged  away 
towards  the  river  amid  deafening  yells  and  shouts.  They  then  rejoice, 
these  simple  people,  that  an  evil  spirit  has  been  appeased. 

SEA  ICE  AND  ICEBERGS  ^ 
From  The  Forms  of  Water.    By  John  Tyndall 

Water  becomes  heavier  and  more  diflBcult  to  freeze  when  salt  is  dis- 
solved in  it.  Sea  water  is  therefore  heavier  than  fresh,  and  the  Green- 
land Ocean  requires  to  freeze  it  a  temperature  three  and  one  half  degrees 
lower  than  fresh  water. 

But  even  when  the  water  is  saturated  with  salt,  the  crystallizing  force 

studiously  rejects  the  salt,  and  devotes  itself  to  the  congelation  of  the 

water  alone.    Hence  the  ice  of  sea  water,  when  melted,  produces  fresh 

water.    The  only  saline  particles  existing  in  such  ice  are  those  entangled 

^  Reprinted  by  permission  of  D.  Appleton  &  Co. 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  297 

mechanically  in  its  pores.    They  have  no  part  or  lot  in  the  structure  of 
the  crystal. 

This  exclusiveness,  if  I  may  use  the  term,  of  the  water  molecules:  this 
entire  rejection  of  all  foreign  elements  from  the  edifices  which  they  build, 
is  enforced  to  a  surprising  degree.  Sulphuric  acid  has  so  strong  an  affin- 
ity for  water  that  it  is  one  of  the  most  powerful  agents  known  to  the 
chemist  for  the  removal  of  humidity  from  air.  Still,  as  shown  by* 
Faraday,  when  a  mixture  of  sulphuric  acid  and  water  is  frozen,  the 
crystal  formed  is  perfectly  sweet  and  free  from  acidity.  The  water 
alone  has  lent  itself  to  the  crystallizing  force. 

Every  winter  in  the  Arctic  regions  the  sea  freezes,  roofing  itself  with 
ice  of  enormous  thickness  and  vast  extent.  By  the  summer  heat,  and 
the  tossing  of  the  waves,  this  is  broken  up;  the  fragments  are  drifted 
by  winds  and  borne  by  currents.  They  clash,  they  crush  each  other, 
they  file  themselves  into  heaps,  thus  constituting  the  chief  danger  en- 
countered by  mariners  in  the  polar  seas. 

But  among  the  drifting  masses  of  flat  sea  ice,  vaster  masses  sail, 
which  spring  from  a  totally  different  source.  These  are  the  icebergs 
of  the  Arctic  seas.  They  rise  sometimes  to  an  elevation  of  hundreds 
of  feet  above  the  water,  while  the  weight  of  ice  submerged  is  about 
seven  times  that  seen  above. 

The  first  observers  of  striking  natural  phenomena  generally  allow 
wonder  and  imagination  more  than  their  due  place.  But  to  exclude  all 
error  arising  from  this  cause,  I  will  refer  to  the  journal  of  a  cool  and 
intrepid  Arctic  navigator.  Sir  Leopold  McClintock.  He  describes  an 
iceberg  two  hundred  fifty  feet  high,  which  was  aground  in  five  hundred 
feet  of  water.  This  would  make  the  entire  height  of  the  berg  seven 
hundred  fifty  feet,  not  an  unusual  altitude  for  the  greater  icebergs. 

From  Baffin's  Bay  these  mighty  masses  come  sailing  down  through 
Davis  ^  Straits  into  the  broad  Atlantic.  A  vast  amount  of  heat  is  de- 
manded for  the  simple  liquefaction  of  ice;  and  the  melting  of  icebergs 
is  on  this  account  so  slow,  that  when  large  they  sometimes  maintain 
themselves  till  they  have  been  drifted  two  thousand  miles  from  their 
place  of  birth. 

What  is  their  origin?  The  Arctic  glaciers.  From  the  mountains  in 
the  interior  the  indurated  snows  slide  into  the  valleys  and  fill  them  with 


298  ORAL  ENGLISH 

ice.  The  glaciers  thus  formed  move  Uke  the  Swiss  ones,  incessantly 
downward.  But  the  Arctic  glaciers  reach  the  sea,  enter  it,  often  plowing 
up  its  bottom  into  submarine  moraines.  Undermined  by  the  lapping 
of  the  waves,  and  unable  to  resist  the  strain  imposed  by  their  own 
weight,  they  break  across,  and  discharge  vast  masses  into  the  ocean. 
Some  of  these  run  aground  on  the  adjacent  shores,  and  often  maintain 
.  themselves  for  years.  Others  escape  southward,  to  be  finally  dissolved 
in  the  warm  waters  of  the  Atlantic. 

STRUGGLING  FOR  AN  EDUCATION  i 
Abridged  from  Up  from  Slavery.    By  Booker  T.  Washington 

One  day,  while  I  was  at  work  in  the  coal-mine,  I  happened  to  over- 
hear two  miners  talking  about  a  great  school  for  colored  people  some- 
where in  Virginia.  This  was  the  first  time  that  I  had  ever  heard  any- 
thing about  any  kind  of  school  or  college  that  was  more  pretentious 
than  the  little  colored  school  in  our  town. 

In  the  darkness  of  the  mine  I  noiselessly  crept  as  close  as  I  could 
to  the  two  men  who  were  talking.  I  heard  one  tell  the  other  that  not 
only  was  the  school  established  for  the  members  of  my  race,  but  that 
opportunities  were  provided  by  which  poor  but  worthy  students  could 
work  out  all  or  a  part  of  the  cost  of  board,  and  at  the  same  time  be 
taught  some  trade  or  industry. 

As  they  went  on  describing  the  school,  it  seemed  to  me  that  it  must 
be  the  greatest  place  on  earth,  and  not  even  Heaven  presented  more 
attractions  for  me  at  that  time  than  did  the  Hampton  Normal  and 
Agricultural  Institute  in  Virginia,  about  which  these  men  were  talking. 
I  resolved  at  once  to  go  to  that  school,  although  I  had  no  idea  where  it 
was,  or  how  I  was  going  to  reach  it;  I  remembered  only  that  I  was  on  fire 
constantly  with  one  ambition,  and  that  was  to  go  to  Hampton.  This 
thought  was  with  me  day  and  night. 

In  the  fall  of  1872  I  determined  to  make  an  effort  to  get  there.  The 
distance  irom  Maiden  to  Hampton  is  about  five  hundred  miles.  By 
walking,  begging  rides  both  in  wagons  and  in  the  cars,  sometimes  pay- 

^  Copyright  1901   by  Doubleday  Page  and  Company,  and  reprinted  by 
special  arrangement  with  these  publishers. 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  299 

ing  my  fare  by  stage-coach  or  train  from  my  scanty  savings,  in  some 
way,  after  a  number  of  days,  I  reached  Richmond,  Virginia^,  about 
eighty-two  miles  from  Hampton.  At  Richmond  I  spent  several  days 
helping  unload  pig  iron  from  a  vessel,  thus  earning  a  little  to  add  to  the 
amount  I  must  get  to  pay  my  way  to  Hampton. 

I  reached  Hampton,  with  a  surplus  of  exactly  fifty  cents  with  which 
to  begin  my  education.  To  me  it  had  been  a  long,  eventful  journey; 
but  the  first  sight  of  the  large,  three-story,  brick  school  building  seemed 
to  have  rewarded  me  for  all  that  I  had  undergone  in  order  to  reach  the 
place.  If  the  people  who  gave  the  money  to  provide  that  building  could 
appreciate  the  influence  the  sight  of  it  had  upon  me,  as  well  as  upon 
thousands  of  other  youths,  they  would  feel  all  the  more  encouraged  to 
make  such  gifts. 

It  seemed  to  me  to  be  the  largest  and  most  beautiful  building  I  had 
ever  seen.  I  felt  that  a  new  kind  of  existence  had  now  begun — that  life 
would  now  have  a  new  meaning.  I  felt  that  I  had  reached  the  promised 
land,  and  I  resolved  to  let  no  obstacle  prevent  me  from  putting  forth 
the  highest  effort  to  fit  myself  to  accomplish  the  most  good  in  the  world. 

As  soon  as  possible  after  reaching  the  grounds  of  the  Hampton  In- 
stitute, I  presented  myself  before  the  head  teacher  for  assignment  to 
a  class.  Having  been  so  long  without  proper  food,  a  bath,  and  change 
of  clothing,  I  did  not,  of  course,  make  a  very  favorable  impression  upon 
her,  and  I  could  see  at  once  that  there  were  doubts  in  her  mind  about 
the  wisdom  of  admitting  me  as  a  student.  I  felt  that  I  could  hardly 
blame  her  if  she  got  the  idea  that  I  was  a  worthless  loafer  or  a  tramp. 

For  some  time  she  did  not  refuse  to  admit  me,  neither  did  she  decide 
in  my  favor,  and  I  continued  to  linger  about  her,  and  to  impress  her  in 
all  the  ways  I  could  with  my  worthiness.  In  the  meantime  I  saw  her 
admitting  other  students,  and  that  added  greatly  to  my  discomfort,  for 
I  felt,  deep  down  in  my  heart,  that  I  could  do  as  well  as  they,  if  I  could 
only  get  the  chance  to  show  what  was  in  me. 

After  some  hours  had  passed,  the  head  teacher  said  to  me:  ''The  ad- 
joining recitation-room  needs  sweeping.  Take  the  broom  and  sweep  it." 
It  occurred  to  me  that  here  was  my  chance.  Never  did  I  receive  an 
order  with  more  delight.  I  knew  that  I  could  sweep,  for  Mrs.  Ruffnei 
had  taught  me  how  to  do  that  when  I  lived  with  her. 


300  ORAL  ENGLISH 

I  swept  the  recitation-room  three  times.  Then  I  got  a  dusting-cloth 
and  du^ed  it  four  times.  All  the  woodwork  around  the  walls,  every 
bench,  table,  and  desk,  I  went  over  four  times  with  my  dusting-cloth 
Besides,  every  piece  of  furniture  had  been  moved  and  every  closet  and 
corner  in  the  room  had  been  thoroughly  cleaned.  I  had  the  feeling  that 
in  a  large  measure  my  future  depended  upon  the  impression  I  made 
upon  the  teacher  in  the  cleaning  of  that  room. 

When  I  was  through,  I  reported  to  the  head  teacher.  She  was  a  "Yan- 
kee'' woman  who  knew  just  where  to  look  for  dirt.  She  went  into  the 
room  and  inspected  the  floor  and  closets;  then  she  took  her  handkerchief 
and  rubbed  it  on  the  woodwork  about  the  walls,  and  over  the  table  and 
benches.  When  she  was  unable  to  find  one  bit  of  dirt  on  the  floor,  or  a 
particle  of  dust  oh  any  of  the  furniture,  she  quietly  remarked,  "I  guess 
you  will  do  to  enter  this  institution." 

I  was  one  of  the  happiest  souls  on  earth.  The  sweeping  of  that  room 
was  my  college  examination,  and  never  did  any  youth  pass  examination 
into  Harvard  or  Yale  that  gave  him  more  genuine  satisfaction.  I  have 
passed  several  examinations  since  then,  but  I  have  always  felt  that  this 
was  the  best  one  I  ever  passed. 

STANDARDS  OF  SUCCESS  ^ 

From  The  Ameeican  of  the  Future  and  Other  Essays.    By  Brander 

Matthews 

In  spite  of  much  that  may  seem  like  evidence  to  the  contrary,  the 
American  people  as  a  whole  are  not  now  setting  up  false  standards  of 
success.  It  is  not  true  that  they  are  drugged  with  "the  spirit  of  mer- 
cenary materialism."  There  is  really  little  reason  to  believe  that  the 
average  man  here  in  the  United  States,  however  much  he  may  wish  to 
be  better  off  than  he  is,  weighs  his  fellow  men  by  their  balance  in  the 
bank. 

In  fact,  the  average  man  to-day  is  not  without  a  pretty  high  opinion 
of  those  whose  minds  are  not  set  on  money-making;  and  he  is  in  no 
danger  of  denouncing  as  a  dire  failure  a  career  devoted  to  the  loftier 
things  of  life.    He  may  at  times  display  too  much  curiosity  about  the 

^  Copyright,  1909,  by  Charles  Scribner's  Sons.  Reprinted  by  special  ar« 
rangement  with  these  publishers. 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  301 

methods  and  the  amassed  money  of  Mr.  Midas  or  Mr.  Croesus;  but  he 
does  not  reveal  any  too  great  esteem  for  their  persons.  He  does  not 
actually  envy  them,  even  though  he  may  wish  that  he  also  had  a  little 
more  of  the  material  prosperity  of  which  they  have  too  much. 

It  may  even  be  doubted  whether  he  holds  them  to  have  been  more 
successful  than  the  men  whom  he  admires  as  the  leaders  of  public  opinion 
and  as  the  possessors  of  the  things  that  money  cannot  buy.  He  may 
gossip  about  the  latest  entertainment  or  the  latest  benefaction  of  in- 
ordinately wealthy  men,  but  he  does  not  set  them  as  high  as  he  rates 
certain  college  presidents,  certain  artists,  certain  men  of  letters,  cer- 
tain inventors,  whose  power  and  success  cannot  be  measured  in  money. 
He  would  not  dispute  Bacon's  assertion  that  ^'no  man's  fortune  can 
be  an  end  worthy  of  the  gift  of  being  .  .  .  and  often  the  worthiest  men 
abandon  their  fortunes  willingly  that  they  may  have  leisure  for  higher 
things." 

All  those  who  are  old  enough  to  remember  the  funeral  of  Peter  Cooper 
and  its  outpouring  of  affectionate  regard  from  all  classes  in  the  city 
he  had  made  a  better  place  to  live  in,  will  not  need  to  be  assured  that 
the  average  American  clings  sturdily  to  the  belief  that  public  service, 
in  office  or  out  of  it,  is  the  true  gauge  of  life.  The  most  useful  citizen 
is  in  fact  the  most  successful;  and  it  is  those  who  have  given  loyal  serv- 
ice to  the  community  whom  the  community  holds  in  highest  regard. 

Probably  the  average  American,  if  he  were  forced  to  give  thought  to 
it,  would  admit  willingly  that  the  unknown  settlement-workers,  who 
put  behind  them  all  desire  for  gain  and  who  give  their  lives  gladly  to 
unostentatious  service,  have  achieved  a  fuller  measure  of  success  than 
the  most  of  the  men  who  have  been  conspicuous  in  amassing  millions. 

Not  what  we  have,  but  what  we  use; 
Not  what  we  see,  but  what  we  choose— 
These  are  the  things  that  mar  or  bless 
The  sum  of  human  happiness. 

Not  as  we  take,  but  as  we  give; 
Not  as  we  pray,  but  as  we  live — 
These  are  the  things  that  make  for  peace, 
Both  now  and  after  time  shall  cease. 


302  ORAL  ENGLISH 

THE  PREMIERE  OF  ''SHE  STOOPS  TO  CONQUER"  ^ 

Abridged  from  The  Jessamy  Bride.     By  F.  Frankfort  Moore 

When  Goldsmith  reached  his  chambers  in  Brick  Court,  he  found 
awaiting  him  a  letter  from  Colman,  the  lessee  of  Covent  Garden  Theatre, 
to  let  him  know  that  Woodward  and  Mrs.  Abington  had  resigned  their 
parts  in  his  comedy  which  had  been  in  rehearsal  for  a  week,  and  that 
he,  Colman,  felt  they  were  right  in  doing  so,  as  the  failure  of  the  piece 
was  inevitable.  He  hoped  that  Dr.  Goldsmith  would  be  discreet  enough 
to  sanction  its  withdrawal  while  its  withdrawal  was  still  possible. 

He  read  the  letter — one  of  several  from  Colman  prophesying  dis- 
aster— without  impatience,  and  threw  it  aside  without  a  further  thought 
that  night.  Next  morning  he  hurried  off  to  the  theatre  and  found 
Colman  in  his  most  disagreeable  mood. 

''I  have  been  a  manager  now  for  some  years,"  said  Colman,  *'and, 
speaking  from  the  experience  which  I  have  gained,  I  say  without  hesita- 
tion that  I  never  had  a  piece  offered  to  me  which  promised  so  complete 
a  disaster  as  this,  sir.  Why,  'tis  like  no  other  comedy  that  was  ever 
wrote." 

''That  is  a  feature  which  I  think  the  playgoers  will  not  be  so  slow 
to  appreciate,"  said  Goldsmith.  "Good  Heavens!  Mr.  Colman,  can- 
not you  see  that  what  the  people  want  nowadays  is  a  novelty?  Pray 
let  us  not  take  so  gloomy  a  view  of  the  hereafter  of  our  play." 

"Of  your  play,  sir,  by  your  leave,"  intoned  Colman  contemptuously. 

At  rehearsals  Colman  provoked  Goldsmith  almost  beyond  endurance 
by  his  sneers,  and  actually  encouraged  the  members  of  his  own  com- 
pany in  their  frivolous  complaints  regarding  their  dialogue.  But  Gold- 
smith occupied  himself  making  such  changes  in  his  play  as  were  sug- 
gested to  him  in  the  course  of  the  rehearsals.  He  persuaded  Mr.  John 
Quick  to  take  the  part  of  Tony  Lumpkin  resigned  by  Woodward,  and 
Mrs.  Bulkley  that  of  Miss  Hardcastle  resigned  by  Mrs.  Abington.  At 
the  end  of  a  week  Gentleman  Smith  who  had  been  cast  for  young  Mar- 
low  threw  up  his  part,  and  it  was  handed  over  to  Lee  Lewes.    The 

^  Reprinted  by  special  arrangement  with  Duffleld  and  Company. 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  303 

title  of  the  comedy,  too,  Goldsmith  changed  from  ^'The  Mistakes  of  a 
Night"  to  "She  Stoops  to  Conquer.'^ 

Fortunately  Goldsmith  had  influential  friends  that  recognized  his 
genius,  and  believed  in  the  success  of  his  comedy. 

"To  prove  how  certain  we  are  of  the  future  of  your  piece,"  said 
Joshua  Reynolds  to  him,  "we  ask  you  to  join  us  at  dinner  on  Monday 
previous  to  the  first  performance." 

"Commonplace  people  would  invite  you  to  supper,  sir,"  put  in  Dr. 
Johnson,  "to  celebrate  the  success  of  your  play.  Our  esteem  remains 
independent  of  the  verdict  of  the  pubHc.  On  Monday  night,  sir,  you 
will  find  a  thousand  people  who  will  esteem  it  an  honor  to  have  you  sup 
with  them;  but  on  Monday  afternoon  you  will  dine  with  us." 

On  that  Monday  George  Steevens  called  for  Goldsmith  and  accom- 
panied him  to  the  St.  James  coffee-house,  where  the  dinner  was  to  take 
place.  There  they  found  Dr.  Johnson,  Reynolds,  Edmund  and  Richard 
Burke,  and  Caleb  Whiteford  already  assembled.  Garrick  could  not 
join  them. 

The  dinner  was  a  dismal  failure,  so  far  as  the  guest  of  the  party  was 
concerned.  Goldsmith  was  unable  to  swallow  a  morsel,  so  parched  had 
his  throat  become  from  sheer  nervousness.  While  there  was  still  plenty 
of  time  even  for  walking  to  the  theatre.  Goldsmith  left  the  room  hastily, 
explaining  elaborately  that  he  had  forgotten  to  brush  his  hat,  and  he 
meant  to  have  the  omission  repaired  without  delay. 

The  party  looked  for  his  return  until  a  waiter  reported  that  Dr. 
Goldsmith  had  left  some  time  ago,  hurrying  in  the  direction  of  Pall 
Mall. 

"  I  suppose  we  may  take  it  for  granted  that  he  has  gone  to  the  play- 
house?" said  Edmund  Burke. 

"It  is  not  wise  to  take  anything  for  granted  so  far  as  Goldsmith  is 
concerned,"  said  Steevens.  "I  think  that  the  best  course  we  can  adopt 
is  for  some  of  us  to  go  to  the  playhouse  without  delay.  The  play  must 
be  looked  after;  but  for  myself  I  mean  to  look  after  the  author.  If  I 
know  anything  of  him,  the  playhouse  is  just  the  place  which  he  would 
most  persistently  avoid." 

While  the  rest  of  the  party  set  out  for  Covent  Garden  Theatre, 
Steevens  hurried  off  in  the  opposite  direction.    He  went  on  foot  from 


304  ORAL  ENGLISH 

coffee  house  to  coffee  house — ^from  Jack's,  in  Dean  street,  to  the  Old 
Bell,  in  Westminster — ^but  he  failed  to  discover  his  friend  in  one  of 
them.    An  hour  and  a  haK  he  spent  in  this  way. 

All  this  time  roars  of  laughter  from  every  part  of  the  playhouse  were 
greeting  the  brilliant  dialogue,  the  natural  characterization,  and  the 
admirably  contrived  situations  in  the  best  comedy  that  a  century  of 
brilliant  authors  had  witnessed.  The  scene  comes  before  us  with  vivid- 
ness. We  see  the  enormous  figure  of  Dr.  Johnson  leaning  far  out  of  the 
box  nearest  the  stage,  with  a  hand  behind  his  ear,  so  as  to  lose  no  word 
spoken  on  the  stage.  Reynolds  is  in  the  opposite  corner,  his  ear-trumpet 
resting  on  the  ledge  of  the  box. 

What  a  play!  What  spectators!  We  listen  to  the  one  year  by  year 
with  the  same  delight  that  it  brought  to  those  who  heard  it  this  night 
for  the  first  time;  and  we  look  with  delight  at  the  faces  of  the  notable 
spectators  which  the  brush  of  the  little  man  with  the  ear-trumpet  in 
Johnson's  box  has  made  immortal. 

And  all  this  time  Oliver  Goldsmith  was  pacing,  backward  and  for- 
ward, the  broad  walk  in  St.  James  Park.  Steevens  came  upon  him  there 
after  spending  nearly  two  hours  searching  for  him. 

"Don't  speak,  man,"  cried  Oliver,  "you  come  to  tell  me  that  the 
comedy  is  a  failure." 

"Not  I,"  said  Steevens.    "I  have  not  been  to  the  playhouse  yet." 

"Then  I  beg  you  to  hasten  there,  and  bring  me  news  of  the  play — 
don't  fear  to  tell  me  the  worst." 

"My  dear  friend,"  said  Steevens,  "I  have  no  intention  of  going  to 
the  playhouse  unless  you  are  in  my  company.  Have  you  no  considera- 
tion for  your  art?" 

"What  do  you  mean  by  that?" 

"I  mean  that  some  question  may  arise  on  the  stage  which  you,  and 
you  only,  can  decide — are  you  willing  to  allow  the  future  of  yoiur  comedy 
to  depend  upon  the  decision  of  Colman?" 

"It  shall  not — it  shall  not!"  cried  Goldsmith. 

They  hurried  to  Charing  Cross,  where  a  hackney  coach  was  obtain- 
able. When  they  got  out  of  the  coach  Goldsmith  hastened  round  to 
the  stage  door.  He  reached  the  back  of  the  stage  just  as  Quick  in  tho 
part  of  Tony  Lumpkin  was  pretending  to  his  mother  that  Mr.  Hard* 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  305 

castle  was  a  highwayman.  The  laughter  th:t  followed  was  not  the 
laugh  of  playgoers  who  have  endured  four  acts  of  dull  play;  it  was  the 
laugh  of  people  who  have  been  in  good  humor  for  over  two  hours,  and 
Goldsmith  knew  it. 

When  the  house  was  still  cheering  at  the  conclusion  of  the  epilogue, 
Goldsmith,  overcome  with  emotion,  hurried  into  the  green  room.  Mrs. 
Abington  was  the  first  person  whom  he  met. 

"Oh,  sir,"  she  said,  "I  cannot  tell  you  the  humiliation  which  I  feel 
at  having  resigned  my  part  in  your  comedy.  I  have  been  justly  pun- 
ished by  hearing  the  words  which  I  might  have  spoken,  applauded  so 
rapturously  coming  from  another." 

Members  of  the  company  and  distinguished  friends  of  the  author 
now  crowded  about  him.    Dr.  Johnson's  voice  filled  the  room. 

"We  perceived  the  reason  of  your  extraordinary  modestj^  Dr.  Gold- 
smith, before  your  play  was  many  minutes  on  the  stage.  You  dog,  you 
took  as  your  example  the  Italians  who,  on  the  eve  of  Lent,  indulge  in 
a  carnival,  celebrating  their  farewell  to  flesh  by  a  feast.  On  the  same 
analogy  you  had  a  glut  of  modesty  previous  to  bidding  modesty  good- 
bye forever;  for  to-night's  performance  will  siu-ely  make  you  a  coxcomb." 

"Oh,  I  hope  not,  sir,"  said  Goldsmith. 

"No,  you  don't  hope  it,  sir,"  cried  Johnson.  "You  are  thinking  at 
this  moment  how  much  better  you  are  than  your  betters — I  see  it  in 
your  face,  you  rascal." 

"And  he  has  a  right  to  think  so,"  said  Mrs.  Abington.  "Come,  Dr. 
Goldsmith,  speak  up,  say  something  insulting  to  your  betters." 

"Certainly,  madam,"  replied  Goldsmith,  "Where  are  they?" 

THE  ITALIAN  IN  ENGLAND 

By  Robert  Browning 

That  second  time  they  hunted  me 
From  hill  to  plain,  from  shore  to  sea. 
And  Austria,  hounding  far  and  wide 
Her  blood-hounds  through  the  country-side, 
Breathed  hot  and  instant  on  my  trace, — 
I  made  six  days  a  hiding-place 


306  ORAL  ENGLISH 

Of  that  dry  green  old  aqueduct 

Where  I  and  Charles,  when  boys,  have  plucked 

The  fire-flies  from  the  roof  above. 

Bright  creeping  through  the  moss  they  love; 

— How  long  it  seems  since  Charles  was  lost! 

Six  days  the  soldiers  crossed  and  crossed 
The  country  in  my  very  sight; 
And  when  that  peril  ceased  at  night, 
The  sky  broke  out  in  red  dismay 
With  signal  fires;  well,  there  I  lay 
Close  covered  o'er  in  my  recess, 
Up  to  the  neck  in  ferns  and  cress, 
Thinking  on  Metternich  our  friend, 
And  Charles's  miserable  end, 
And  much  beside,  two  days;  the  third, 
Hunger  o'ercame  me  when  I  heard 
The  peasants  from  the  village  go 
To  work  among  the  maize. 

You  know, 
With  us  in  Lombardy,  they  bring 
Provisions  packed  on  mules,  a  string 
With  little  bells  that  cheer  their  task. 
And  casks,  and  boughs  on  every  cask 
To  keep  the  sun's  heat  from  the  wine; 
These  I  let  pass  in  jingling  line. 
And,  close  on  them,  dear  noisy  crew, 
The  peasants  from  the  village,  too; 
For  at  the  very  rear  would  troop 
Their  wives  and  sisters  in  a  group 
To  help,  I  knew. 

When  these  had  passed, 
I  threw  my  glove  to  strike  the  last, 
Taking  the  chance:  she  did  not  start, 
Much  less  cry  out,  but  stooped  apart, 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  307 

One  instant  rapidly  glanced  round, 
And  saw  me  beckon  from  the  ground; 
A  wild  bush  grows  and  hides  my  crypt; 
She  picked  my  glove  up  while  she  stripped 
A  branch  off,  then  rejoined  the  rest 
With  that;  my  glove  lay  in  her  breast. 
Then  I  drew  breath:  they  disappeared: 
It  was  for  Italy  I  feared. 

An  hour,  and  she  returned  alone 

Exactly  where  my  glove  was  thrown. 

Meanwhile  came  many  thoughts;  on  me 

Rested  the  hopes  of  Italy; 

I  had  devised  a  certain  tale 

Which,  when  it  was  told  her,  could  not  fail 

Persuade  a  peasant  of  its  truth; 

I  meant  to  call  a  freak  of  youth 

This  hiding,  and  give  hopes  of  pay, 

And  no  temptation  to  betray. 

But  when  I  saw  that  woman^s  face, 
Its  calm  simplicity  of  grace — 
At  first  sight  of  her  eyes,  I  said, 
"I  am  that  man  upon  whose  head 
They  fix  the  price,  because  I  hate 
The  Austrians  over  us:  the  State 
Will  give  you  gold — oh,  gold  so  much!^ 
If  you  betray  me  to  their  clutch. 
And  be  your  death,  for  aught  I  know. 
If  once  they  find  you  saved  their  foe. 

"Now,  you  must  bring  me  food  and  drink, 

And  also  paper,  pen  and  ink. 

And  carry  safe  what  I  shall  write 

To  Padua,  which  you'll  reach  at  night 

Before  the  duomo  shuts;  go  in. 

And  wait  till  Tenebrae  begin; 


308  ORAL  ENGLISH 

Walk  to  the  third  confessional, 

Between  the  pillar  and  the  wall, 

And  kneeling  whisper.  Whence  comes  peacef 

Say  it  a  second  time,  then  cease; 

And  if  the  voice  inside  returns, 

From  Christ  and  Freedom;  what  concerns 

The  cause  of  Peacef — for  answer,  slip 

My  letter  where  you  placed  your  lip; 

Then  come  back  happy  we  have  done 

Our  mother's  service — I,  the  son. 

As  you  the  daughter  of  our  land!" 

Three  mornings  more  she  took  her  stand 
In  the  same  place,  with  the  same  eyes: 
I  was  no  surer  of  sunrise 
Than  of  her  coming.    We  conferred 
Of  her  own  prospects,  and  I  heard 
She  had  a  lover — ^stout  and  tall. 
She  said — then  let  her  eyelids  fall, 
''He  could  do  much" — as  if  some  doubt 
Entered  her  heart, — then,  passing  out, 
''She  could  not  speak  for  others,  who 
Had  other  thoughts;  herself  she  knew:" 
And  so  she  brought  me  drink  and  food. 

After  four  days  the  scouts  pursued 

Another  path;  at  last  arrived 

The  help  my  Paduan  friends  contrived 

To  furnish  me:  she  brought  the  news. 

For  the  first  time  I  could  not  choose 

But  kiss  her  hand,  and  lay  my  own 

Upon  her  head — "This  faith  was  shown 

To  Italy,  our  mother;  she 

Uses  my  hand  and  blesses  thee." 

She  followed  down  to  the  sea-shore  t 

I  left  and  never  saw  her  more. 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  309 

How  very  long  since  I  have  thought 

Concerning — much  less  wished  for — aught 

Beside  the  good  of  Italy, 

For  which  I  live  and  mean  to  die! 

I  never  was  in  love;  and  since 

Charles  proved  false,  what  shall  now  convince 

My  inmost  heart  I  have  a  friend? 

However,  if  I  pleased  to  spend 

Real  wishes  on  myself — say,  three — 

I  know  at  least  what  one  should  be. 

I  would  grasp  Mettemich  until 

I  felt  his  red  wet  throat  distil 

In  blood  through  these  two  hands.    And  next 

— Nor  much  for  that  I  am  perplexed — 

Charles,  perjured  traitor,  for  his  part, 

Should  die  slow  of  a  broken  heart 

Under  his  new  employers.    Last 

— ^Ah,  there,  what  should  I  wish?    For  fast 

Do  I  grow  old  and  out  of  strength. 

If  I  resolved  to  seek  at  length 

My  father's  house  again,  how  scared 

They  all  would  look,  and  unprepared! 

My  brothers  live  in  Austria's  pay 
— Disowned  me  long  ago,  men  say; 
And  all  my  early  mates  who  used 
To  praise  me  so — perhaps  induced 
More  than  one  early  step  of  mine — 
Are  turning  wise:  while  some  opine 
''Freedom  grows  license,"  some  suspect 
"Haste  breeds  delay,"  and  recollect 
They  always  said,  such  premature 
Beginnings  never  could  endure! 
So,  with  a  sudden  "All's  for  best," 
The  land  seems  settling  to  its  rest. 


310  ORAL  ENGLISH 

I  think  then,  I  should  wish  to  stand 
This  evening  in  that  dear,  lost  land, 
Over  the  sea  the  thousand  miles. 
And  know  if  yet  that  woman  smiles 
With  the  calm  smile;  some  little  farm 
She  lives  in  there,  no  doubt:  what  harm 
If  I  sat  on  the  door-side  bench, 
And,  while  her  spindle  made  a  trench 
Fantastically  in  the  dust. 
Inquired  of  all  her  fortunes — just 
Her  children's  ages  and  their  names, 
And  what  may  be  the  husband's  aims 
For  each  of  them.    I'd  talk  this  out. 
And  sit  there,  for  an  hour  about. 
Then  kiss  her  hand  once  more,  and  lay 
Mine  on  her  head,  and  go  my  way 

So  much  for  idle  wishing — ^how 

It  steals  the  time!    To  business  now. 

GETTING  STARTED  AS  A  LAWYER  i 
From  The  Honorable  Peter  Stirling.    By  Paul  Leicester  Ford 

The  morning  after  his  first  day  in  New  York,  Peter  Stirling  called 
on  his  friend,  the  civil  engineer,  to  consult  him  about  an  office.  Mr. 
Converse  shook  his  head  when  Peter  outlined  his  plan. 

^'Do  you  know  any  New  York  people,"  he  asked,  *'who  will  be  likely 
to  give  you  cases?" 

''No,"  said  Peter. 

''Then  it's  absolutely  foolish  of  you  to  begin  that  way,"  said  Mr. 
Converse.  "Get  into  a  lawyer's  office,  and  make  friends  first  before 
you  think  of  starting  by  yourself.    You'll  otherwise  never  get  a  client." 

Peter  shook  his  head.  "I've  thought  it  out,"  he  added,  as  if  that 
settled  it. 

Mr.  Converse  looked  at  him,  and,  reallj^  liking  the  fellow,  was  about 

^  Reprinted  by  permission  of  Henry  Holt  and  Company. 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  311 

to  explain  the  real  facts  to  him,  when  a  caller  came  in.  So  he  only  said, 
"If  that's  so,  go  ahead.  Locate  on  Broadway,  anywhere  between  the 
Battery  and  Canal  Street." 

Anywhere  between  the  Battery  and  Canal  Street  represented  a 
fairly  large  range  of  territory,  but  Peter  went  at  the  matter  directly, 
and  for  the  next  three  days  passed  his  time  climbing  stairs,  and  in- 
specting rooms  and  dark  cells.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  took  a  mod- 
erate-sized office,  far  back  in  a  building  near  Worth  Street.  Another 
day  saw  it  fitted  with  a  desk,  two  chairs  (for  Peter  as  yet  dreamed  only 
of  single  clients)  and  a  shelf  containing  the  few  law  books  that  were  the 
monuments  of  his  Harvard  law  course,  and  his  summer  reading. 

On  the  following  Monday,  when  Peter  faced  his  office  door  he  felt  a 
glow  of  satisfaction  at  seeing  in  very  black  letters  on  the  very  newly 
scrubbed  glass  the  sign  of: 


PETER  STIRLING 
Attorney  and  Counsellor-at-law 


He  had  come  to  his  office  early,  because  he  believed  that  early  hours 
were  one  way  of  winning  success.  He  was  a  little  puzzled  what  to  do 
with  himself.  He  sat  down  at  his  desk  and  thrummed  it  for  a  minute. 
Then  he  rose,  and  spread  his  books  more  along  the  shelf,  so  as  to  leave 
little  spaces  between  them,  thinking  that  he  could  make  them  look 
more  imposing  thereby. 

After  that  he  took  down  a  book — somebody  *'0n  Torts" — and  dug 
into  it.  In  the  Harvard  course,  he  had  had  two  hours  a  week  of  this 
book,  but  Peter  worked  over  it  for  nearly  three  hours.  Then  he  took 
paper,  and  in  a  very  neat  hand,  made  an  abstract  of  what  he  had  read. 
Then  he  compared  his  abstract  with  the  book.  Returning  the  book  to 
the  shelf,  very  much  pleased  with  the  accuracy  of  his  memory,  he  looked 
at  his  watch.  It  was  half-past  eleven.  Peter  sat  down  at  his  desk. 
''Would  all  the  days  go  like  this?"  he  asked  himself.  He  could  not  read 
law  for  more  than  four  hours  a  day  and  get  anything  from  it.  What 
was  to  be  done  with  the  rest  of  the  time? 

He  went  down  the  two  flights  of  stairs  to  the  street.  Even  that  had 
the  deserted  look  of  summer.    He  turned  and  went  back  to  his  room. 


312  ORAL  ENGLISH 

Sitting  down  once  more  at  his  desk,  and  opening  somebody  "On  Torts'^ 
again,  he  took  up  his  pen  and  began  to  copy  the  pages  hterally.  He 
wrote  steadily  for  a  time,  then  with  pauses.  Finally,  the  hand  ceased 
to  follow  the  lines,  and  became  straggly.  Then  he  ceased  to  write.  He 
laid  his  head  down  on  the  blotter,  and  the  erect,  firm  figure  relaxed. 

There  is  no  more  terrible  ordeal  of  courage  than  passive  waiting. 
Most  of  us  can  be  brave  with  something  to  do,  but  to  be  brave  for 
months,  for  years,  with  nothing  to  be  done  and  without  hope  of  the 
future!  So  it  was  in  Peter's  case.  It  was  waiting — waiting — for 
what? 

Days  passed.  When  Peter  finished  somebody  ''On  Torts,"  he  went 
through  the  other  law  books  of  his  collection.  Those  done,  he  began  to 
buy  others,  and  studied  them  with  great  thoroughness  and  persistence. 
In  one  of  his  many  walks,  he  stumbled  upon  the  Apprentices'  Library. 
Going  in,  he  inquired  about  its  privileges,  and  became  a  regular  borrower 
of  books.  Peter  had  always  been  a  reader,  but  now  he  gave  three  or 
four  hours  a  day  to  books,  aside  from  his  law  study.  Although  he  was 
slow,  the  number  of  volumes  he  not  merely  read,  but  really  mastered 
was  marvellous. 

Books  which  he  liked,  without  much  regard  to  their  popular  reputa- 
tion, he  at  once  bought;  for  his  simple  life  left  him  the  ability  to  indulge 
himself  in  most  respects  within  moderation.  Before  the  year  was  out, 
he  was  a  recognized  quantity  in  certain  book-stores,  and  was  privileged 
to  browse  at  will  both  among  old  and  new  books  without  interference 
or  suggestion  from  the  ''stock"  clerks.  "There  isn't  any  good  trying 
to  sell  him  anything,"  remarked  one.  "He  makes  up  his  mind  for 
himself." 

In  his  long  tramps  about  the  city,  to  vary  the  monotony,  he  would 
sometimes  stop  and  chat  with  people — with  a  policeman,  a  fruit-vender, 
a  longshore-man  or  a  truckster.  It  mattered  little  who  it  was.  Then 
he  often  entered  manufactories  and  "yards"  and  asked  if  he  could  go 
through  them,  studying  the  methods,  and  talking  to  the  overseer  or 
workers  about  the  trade. 

When  the  courts  opened,  Peter  kept  track  of  the  calendars,  and 
whenever  a  case  or  argument  promised  to  be  interesting,  or  to  call  out 
the  great  lights  of  the  profession,  he  attended  and  listened  to  them.    He 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  313 

fcried  to  write  out  the  arguments  used,  from  notes,  and  finally  this 
practice  induced  him  to  give  two  evenings  a  week  during  the  winter 
mastering  shorthand.  It  was  really  only  a  mental  discipline,  for  an^ 
case  of  importance  was  obtainable  in  print  almost  as  soon  as  argued. 

Such  was  the  first  yesir  of  Peter's  New  York  life.  He  studied,  he 
read,  he  walked,  and  most  of  all  he  waited.  ''How  much  longer  will 
I  have  to  wait?  How  long  will  my  patience  hold  out?"  These  were 
the  questions  he  asked  himself,  when  for  a  moment  he  allowed  himself 
to  lose  courage.  One  day  his  attention  was  called  to  the  death  of  several 
children  in  his  ward  caused,  the  doctor  said,  by  drinking  bad  milk. 
Peter  realized  at  once  that  the  National  Milk  Company  from  whose 
wagon  the  milk  was  bought,  should  be  prosecuted.  The  same  day  he 
freshened  his  mind  upon  certain  municipal  laws,  and  began  to  collect 
evidence  for  the  trial.    He  had  found  his  first  case. 


WHERE  EDIBLE  BIRDS'   NESTS  ARE  GATHERED  i 
From  Wanderings  Among  South  Sea  Savages.    By  H.  Wilfred  Walker 

I  had  just  returned  down  the  river  with  Richardson  from  Tangkulap. 
Tangkulap  is  a  journey  of  several  days  up  the  Kinbatangan  River  in 
British  North  Borneo.  Richardson  was  the  magistrate  of  the  district, 
and  his  rule  extended  over  practically  the  whole  of  this  river,  Tangkulap 
being  his  headquarters. 

Richardson  and  I  determined  to  visit  the  wonderful  Gomanton  birds* 
nest  caves,  from  which  great  quantities  of  edible  birds'  nests  are  taken 
annually.  Vfery  few  Europeans  had  ever  visited  them,  though  they  are 
considered  among  the  wonders  of  the  world.  We  left  Batu  Puteh  in 
Richardson's  canoe  early  one  morning,  and  reached  Bilit  that  evening. 
The  next  morning  we  were  off  before  sunrise.  After  leaving  the  village, 
we  walked  about  an  hour  and  a  half  until  we  came  to  a  small  river,  the 
Menungal.  "Gobangs"  (canoes)  were  speedily  launched,  we  both 
getting  into  the  leading  one.  We  were  followed  by  three  others,  in 
one  of  which  was  an  influential  Hadji. 

Toward  evening  the  river  got  exceedingly  narrow,  and  fallen  trees 

^  Reprinted  by  special  arrangement  with  Witherby  and  Company,  London. 


314  ORAL  ENGLISH 

obstructed  our  way,  so  that  we  had  sometimes  to  lie  flat  on  our  backi 
to  pass  under  them,  and  at  other  times  we  had  to  get  out  while  our  canoe 
was  hauled  over  the  mud  at  the  side.  Just  before  we  reached  our  des- 
tination for  the  night,  the  Hadji  and  all  his  men  proceeded  to  wash  their 
faces  in  the  river.   This  they  did  to  ensure  success  in  their  nest-collecting. 

We  stayed  the  night  in  one  of  two  half-thatched  huts.  It  poured  all 
night,  and  when  we  started  off  on  foot  the  next  morning  we  found  the 
track  in  the  forest  a  regular  quagmire.  After  about  three  hours'  hard 
tramping,  I  caught  sight  of  a  high  mass  of  white  limestone  gleaming 
through  the  trees.  It  made  a  pretty  picture  in  the  early  morning,  the 
white  rock  peeping  out  of  luxuriant  creepers  and  foliage.  It  rises  very 
abruptly  from  the  surrounding  forest,  and  at  a  distance  looked  quite 
inaccessible  to  a  climber.  We  waded  through  a  stream  of  clear  water, 
washing  the  horrible  forest  mud  from  us,  and  soon  found  ourselves  in 
a  most  picturesque  village  at  the  base  of  the  rock. 

After  some  breakfast  we  started  off  to  see  the  near  lower  cave,  which 
was  one  of  the  smaller  ones.  We  followed  a  very  pretty  ferny  track  by 
the  side  of  a  rocky  stream  for  a  short  distance.  The  sky  overhead  was 
thick  with  swallows,  in  fact  one  could  almost  say  the  air  was  black  with 
them.  These,  of  course,  were  the  birds  that  make  the  nests.  The  mouth 
of  the  cave  partly  prepared  me  for  what  I  was  to  see.  I  had  expected 
a  small  entrance,  but  here  it  was,  I  should  say,  sixty  feet  in  height  and  of 
great  width,  the  entrance  being  partly  overhung  with  a  curtain  of  lux- 
uriant creepers.  The  smell  of  guano  had  been  strong  before,  but  here 
it  was  overpowering. 

Extending  inside  the  cave  for  about  one  hundred  yards  was  a  small 
village  of  native  huts  used  chiefly  by  the  guards  or  watchers  of  these 
caves.  Compared  with  the  vastness  of  the  interior  of  the  cave — I  be- 
lieve about  four  hundred  and  eighty  feet  in  height — one  could  almost 
imagine  that  he  was  looking  at  a  small  model  of  a  village.  The  vastness 
of  the  interior  of  this  cave  impressed  me  beyond  words.  One  could 
actually  see  the  very  roof  overhead,  as  there  were  two  or  three  openings 
near  the  top  (reminding  one  of  windows  high  up  in  a  cathedral)  through 
which  broad  shafts  of  light  forced  their  way,  making  some  old  hanging 
rattan  ladders  high  up  appear  like  silvery  spider  webs. 

As  for  the  birds  themselves,  this  was  one  of  their  nesting  seasons,  and 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  315 

the  cave  was  full  of  myriads  of  them.  The  twittering  they  made  resem- 
bled the  whispering  of  a  multitude.  The  majority  of  them  kept  neaJ 
the  roof,  and  as  they  flew  to  and  fro  through  the  shafts  of  light  they  pre- 
sented a  most  curious  effect  and  looked  like  swarms  of  gnats;  lower  down 
they  resembled  silvery  butterflies.  Where  the  light  shone  on  the  rocky 
walls  and  roofs  one  could  distinguish  masses  upon  masses  of  little  silver 
black  specks.  These  were  their  nests,  as  this  was  a  black-nest  cave. 
Somewhere  below  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth  rumbled  an  underground 
river  with  a  noise  like  distant  thunder.  This  cavernous  roar  far  below 
and  the  twittering  whisper  of  the  swallows  overhead,  combined  to  add 
much  to  the  mysteriousness  of  these  wonderful  caves. 

Spread  out  on  the  ground  in  the  cave  and  also  drying  outside,  raised 
from  the  ground  on  stakes,  was  coil  after  coil  of  rattan  ropes  and  ladders 
used  for  collecting  the  nests.  These  have  to  be  new  each  season,  and 
are  first  carefully  tested.  The  ladders  are  made  of  well  twisted  strands 
of  rattan  with  steps  of  strong,  hard  wood,  generally  ^'bilian.'^ 

In  the  afternoon  we  started  off  in  search  of  the  upper  caves.  We 
came  to  the  entrance  of  a  long  chain  of  caves,  through  which  we  passed, 
going  down  a  very  steep  grade,  where  our  guides  had  to  carry  lights. 
After  a  climb  down  some  steep  rocks  in  semi-darkness,  we  found  our- 
selves in  the  largest  cave  of  all,  supposed  to  be  about  five  hundred  and 
sixty  feet  in  height.  This  cave  greatly  resembled  the  smaller  one  I  have 
already  described,  except  that  it  was  of  much  grander  dimensions. 

On  the  way  back,  when  passing  through  some  very  low  caves,  the 
Hadji  got  some  of  his  men  to  knock  down  with  long  poles  a  few  of  the 
white  nests  from  the  wall  of  the  cave  for  me,  and  in  another  cave  they 
got  some  black  nests.  The  difference  between  these  white  and  black 
nests  is  this:  they  are  made  by  two  different  kinds  of  swallows.  A  very 
small  bird  makes  the  white  nest,  but  the  bird  that  builds  the  black  nest 
is  twice  as  large.  The  white  nest  looks  something  like  pure  white  gela- 
tine, is  very  clear,  and  has  no  feathers  in  it.  The  black  nest  is  plentifully 
covered  with  feathers,  and  is,  in  consequence,  not  worth  nearly  as  much. 
The  nests  are  made  from  the  saliva  of  the  birds.  Both  are  very  plain 
colored  birds;  an  ordinary  swallow  is  brilliant  in  comparison. 

The  next  day  we  watched  the  natives  collecting  the  nests.  The  chief 
method  is  by  descending  rattan  ladders,  which  are  let  down  through  a 


316  ORAL  ENGLISH 

hole  in  the  top  of  the  cave.  It  made  one  quite  giddy  even  to  watch  the 
men  descending  these  frail,  swaying  ladders  with  over  five  hundred  feet 
of  space  below  them.  The  man  on  the  nearest  ladder  had  a  long  rattan 
rope  attached  to  his  ladder  with  a  kind  of  wooden  anchor  at  the  end  of 
it.  With  a  wonderful  throw  he  succeeded  in  getting  the  anchor  to  stick 
in  the  soft  guano  on  the  edge  of  the  slanting  ledge  where  we  were.  Sev- 
eral meii  waiting  there  seized  it,  hauled  it  up  until  they  could  catch  hold 
of  the  end  of  the  ladder,  which  they  dragged  higher  and  higher  up  the 
steep,  slanting  rocks.  This  in  time  brought  the  flexible  ladder,  at  least 
the  part  where  the  man  was,  level  with  the  roof,  and  he  lying  on  his  back 
on  the  thin  ladder,  pulled  the  nests  off  the  rocky  roof,  putting  them  into 
a  large  rattan  basket  fastened  about  his  body. 

These  birds'  nest  caves  are  found  all  over  Borneo  and  the  Malay 
Peninsula,  and  also  in  Java  and  other  parts  of  the  Malay  archipelago, 
but  these  are  by  far  the  largest.  The  revenue  from  these  caves  alone 
brings  the  government  a  very  large  sum.  By  far  the  greatest  number 
of  the  nests  is  sent  to  China,  where  birds'  nest  soup  is  an  expensive 
luxury.  The  natives  of  Borneo  do  not  eat  them.  For  myself,  I  found  the 
soup  rather  tasteless. 


JOHN  BROWN'S  LAST  SPEECH 
From  The  Public  Life  of  John  Brown.    By  James  Redpath 

I  have,  may  it  please  the  court,  a  few  words  to  say. 

In  the  first  place,  I  deny  everything  but  what  I  have  all  along  ad- 
mitted— the  design  on  my  part  to  free  the  slaves.  I  intended  certainly 
to  have  made  a  clear  thing  of  that  matter,  as  I  did  last  winter,  when  I 
went  into  Missouri,  and  there  took  slaves  without  the  snapping  of  a  gun 
on  either  side,  moved  them  through  the  country,  and  finally  left  them  in 
Canada.  I  designed  to  have  done  the  same  thing  again,  on  a  larger  scale. 
That  was  all  I  intended.  I  never  did  intend  murder,  or  treason,  or  the 
destruction  of  property,  or  to  excite  or  incite  slaves  to  rebellion,  or  to 
make  insurrection. 

I  have  another  objection:  and  that  is,  it  Ls  unjust  that  I  should  suffer 
such  a  penalty.    Had  I  interfered  in  the  manner  which  I  admit,  and 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  317 

which  I  admit  has  been  fairly  proved — (for  I  admire  the  truthfulness 
and  candor  of  the  greater  portion  of  the  witnesses  who  have  testified  in 
this  case) — had  I  so  interfered  in  behalf  of  the  rich,  the  powerful,  the 
intelligent,  the  so-called  great,  or  in  behalf  of  any  of  their  friends,  either 
father,  mother,  brother,  sister,  wife  or  children,  or  any  of  that  class,  and 
suffered  and  sacrificed  what  I  have  in  this  interference,  it  would  have 
been  all  right,  and  every  man  in  this  court  would  have  deemed  it  an 
act  worthy  of  reward  rather  than  punishment. 

The  Court  acknowledges,  as  I  suppose,  the  validity  of  the  Law  of 
God.  I  see  a  book  kissed  here  which  I  suppose  to  be  the  Bible,  or,  at 
least,  the  New  Testament.  That  teaches  me  that  all  things  '' whatso- 
ever I  w^ould  that  men  should  do  unto  me  I  should  do  even  so  to  them." 
It  teaches  me  further,  to  *' remember  them  that  are  in  bonds  as  bound 
with  them."  I  endeavored  to  act  up  to  that  instruction.  I  say,  I  am 
yet  too  young  to  understand  that  God  is  any  respecter  of  persons. 

I  believe  that  to  have  interfered  as  I  have  done,  as  I  have  always 
freely  admitted  I  have  done,  in  behalf  of  His  despised  poor,  was  not 
wrong,  but  right.  Now,  if  it  is  deemed  necessary  that  I  should  forfeit 
my  life  for  the  furtherance  of  the  ends  of  justice,  and  mingle  my  blood 
further  with  the  blood  of  my  children,  and  with  the  blood  of  millions 
in  this  slave  country  whose  rights  are  disregarded  by  wicked,  cruel, 
and  unjust  enactments — I  submit:  so  let  it  be  done. 

Let  me  say  one  word  further.  I  feel  entirely  satisfied  with  the  treat- 
ment I  have  received  on  my  trial.  Considering  all  the  circumstances, 
it  has  been  more  generous  than  I  expected.  But  I  feel  no  consciousness 
of  guilt.  I  have  stated  from  the  first  what  was  my  intention  and  what 
was  not.  I  never  had  any  design  against  the  life  of  any  person,  nor 
any  disposition  to  commit  treason,  or  excite  slaves  to  rebel,  or  make 
any  general  insurrection.  I  never  encouraged  any  man  to  do  so,  but 
always  discouraged  any  idea  of  that  kind. 

Let  me  say,  also,  a  word  in  regard  to  the  statements  made  by  some 
of  those  connected  with  me.  I  hear  that  it  has  been  stated  by  some 
of  them  that  I  have  induced  them  to  join  me.  But  the  contrary  is  true. 
I  do  not  say  this  to  injure  them,  but  as  regretting  their  weakness.  There 
is  not  one  of  them  but  joined  me  of  his  own  accord,  and  the  greater 
part  at  their  own  expense.    A  number  of  them  I  never  saw,  and  never 


318  ORAL  ENGLISH 

had  a  word  of  conversation  with,  till  the  day  they  came  to  me,  and  that 
was  for  the  purpose  I  have  stated.    Now  I  have  done. 


CONSECRATION  TO  COUNTRY 
By  Abraham  Lincoln 

Many  free  countries  have  lost  their  liberty,  and  ours  may  lose  hers; 
but  if  she  shall,  be  it  my  proudest  plume,  not  that  I  was  last  to  desert, 
but  that  I  never  deserted  her. 

I  know  that  the  great  volcano  [The  Slave  Issue]  at  Washington, 
aroused  and  directed  by  the  evil  spirit  that  reigns  there,  is  belching 
forth  the  lava  of  political  corruption  in  a  current  broad  and  deep,  which 
is  sweeping  with  frightful  velocity  over  the  whole  length  and  breadth 
of  the  land,  bidding  fair  to  leave  unscathed  no  green  spot  or  living  thing. 

I  cannot  deny  that  all  may  be  swept  away.  Broken  by  it,  I,  too, 
may  be;  bow  to  it  I  never  will.  The  possibility  that  we  may  fail  in  the 
struggle  ought  not  to  deter  us  from  the  support  of  a  cause  which  we 
believe  to  be  just.    It  shall  not  deter  me. 

If  ever  I  feel  the  soul  within  me  elevate  and  expand  to  those  dimen- 
sions not  wholly  unworthy  of  its  Almighty  Architect,  it  is  when  I  con- 
template the  cause  of  my  country,  deserted  by  all  the  world  beside, 
and  I  standing  up  boldly,  alone,  and  hurling  defiance  at  her  victorious 
oppressors. 

Here,  without  contemplating  consequences,  before  Heaven,  and  in 
the  face  of  the  world,  /  swear  eternal  fidelity  to  the  just  cause,  as  I  deem 
it,  of  the  land  of  my  life,  my  liberty,  and  my  love;  and  who  that  thinks 
with  me  will  not  fearlessly  adopt  the  oath  that  I  take? 

Let  none  falter  who  thinks  he  is  right,  and  we  may  succeed. 

But,  if  after  all,  we  shall  fail,  be  it  so,  we  still  have  the  proud  con- 
solation of  saying  to  our  consciences,  and  to  the  departed  shade  of  our 
country's  freedom,  that  the  cause  approved  of  our  judgment,  and 
adorned  of  our  hearts  in  disaster,  in  chains,  in  death,  we  never  faltered 
in  defending. 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  319 

HENBY  HUDSON'S  LAST  VOYAGE  ^ 

By  Henry  Van  Dyke 

One  sail  in  sight  upon  the  lonely  sea, 

And  only  one,  God  knows!    For  never  ship 

But  mine  broke  through  the  icy  gates  that  guard 

These  waters  greater  grown  than  any  since 

We  left  the  shore  of  England.    We  were  first, 

My  men,  to  battle  in  between  the  bergs 

And  floes  to  these  wide  waves.    This  gulf  is  mine; 

I  name  it!  and  that  flying  sail  is  mine! 

And  there,  hull-down  below  that  flying  sail. 

The  ship  that  staggers  home  is  mine,  mine,  mine! 

My  ship  Discoverie! 

The  sullen  dogs 
Of  mutineers,  the  bitches'  whelps  that  snatched 
Their  food  and  bit  the  hand  that  nurtured  them, 
Have  stolen  her!    You  ingrate  Henry  Greene, 
I  picked  you  from  the  gutter  of  Houndsditch, 
I  paid  your  debts,  and  kept  you  in  my  house, 
And  brought  you  here  to  make  a  man  of  you. 
You,  Robert  Juet,  ancient,  crafty  man, 
Toothless  and  tremulous,  how  many  times 
Have  I  employed  you  as  a  mate  of  mine 
To  give  you  bread!    And  you,  Abacuck  Prickett, 
You  sailor-clerk,  you  salted  puritan, 
You  knew  the  plot  and  silently  agreed. 
Salving  your  conscience  with  a  pious  lie. 
Yes,  all  of  you, — hounds,  rebels,  thieves!    Bring  back 
My  ship! 

Too  late — I  rave — they  cannot  hear 
My  voice:  and  if  they  heard,  a  drunken  laugh 
Would  be  their  answer.    For  their  minds  have  caught 

*  Reprinted  by  special  arrangement  with  Charles  Scribner*s  Sons. 


320  ORAL  ENGLISH 

The  fatal  firmness  of  the  fooFs  resolve, 
That  looks  like  courage  but  is  only  fear. 
They'll  blunder  on,  and  lose  my  ship,  and  drown,- 
Or  blunder  home  to  England  and  be  hanged. 
Their  skeletons  will  rattle  in  the  chains 
Of  some  tall  gibbet  on  the  Channel  cliffs, 
While  passing  sailors  point  to  them  and  say, 
''Those  are  the  rotten  bones  of  Hudson's  men, 
Who  left  their  captain  in  the  frozen  North!" 

O  God  of  justice,  why  hast  Thou  ordained. 
Plans  of  the  wise  and  actions  of  the  brave 
Dependent  on  the  aid  of  fools  and  cowards? 

Look — there  she  goes — ^her  topsails  in  the  sun 
Gleam  from  the  ragged  ocean  edge,  and  drop 
Clean  out  of  sight!    So  let  the  traitors  go 
Clean  out  of  mind!    We'll  think  of  braver  things! 
Come  closer  in  the  boat,  my  friends.    John  King, 
You  take  the  tiller,  keep  her  head  nor'west. 
You,  Philip  Staffe,  the  only  one  who  chose 
Freely  to  share  with  us  the  shallop's  fate. 
Rather  than  travel  in  the  hell-bound  ship, — 
Too  good  an  English  sailor  to  desert 
These  crippled  comrades, — try  to  make  them  rest 
More  easy  on  the  thwarts.    And  John,  my  son. 
My  little  shipmate,  come  and  lean  your  head 
Upon  your  father's  knee.    Do  you  recall 
That  April  day  in  Ethelburga's  church. 
Five  years  ago,  when  side  by  side  we  kneeled 
To  take  the  sacrament,  with  all  our  company. 
Before  the  Hopewell  left  St.  Catherine's  docks 
On  our  first  voyage?    Then  it  was  I  vowed 
My  sailor-soul  and  yours  to  search  the  sea 
Until  we  found  the  water-path  that  leads 
From  Europe  into  Asia. 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  321 

I  believe 
That  God  has  poured  the  ocean  round  His  world, 
Not  to  divide,  but  to  unite  the  lands; 
And  all  the  English  seamen  who  have  dared 
In  little  ships  to  plow  uncharted  waves — 
Davis  and  Drake,  Hawkins  and  Frobisher, 
Raleigh  and  Gilbert — all  the  other  names — 
Are  written  in  the  chivalry  of  God 
As  men  who  served  His  purpose.    I  would  claim 
A  place  among  that  knighthood  of  the  sea: 
And  I  have  earned  it,  though  my  quest  should  fail! 
For  mark  me  well.    The  honor  of  our  life 
Derives  from  this:  to  have  a  certain  aim 
Before  us  always,  which  our  will  must  seek 
Amid  the  peril  of  uncertain  ways. 
Then,  though  we  miss  the  goal,  our  search  is  crowned 
With  courage,  and  along  the  path  we  find 
A  rich  reward  of  unexpected  things. 
Press  towards  the  aim:  take  fortune  as  it  fares! 
I  know  not  why,  but  something  in  my  heart 
Has  always  whispered,  '' Westward  seek  your  aim." 
Four  times  they  sent  me  east,  but  still  my  prow 
Turned  west  again,  and  felt  among  the  floes 
Of  ruttling  ice  along  the  Groneland  coast. 
And  down  the  rugged  shores  of  Newfoundland, 
And  past  the  rocky  capes  and  sandy  bays 
Where  Gosnold  sailed, — like  one  who  feels  his  way 
With  outstretched  hand  across  a  darkened  room,— 
I  groped  among  the  inlets  and  the  isles. 
To  find  the  passage  to  the  Isles  of  Spice. 
I  have  not  found  it  yet — but  I  have  found 
Things  worth  the  finding! 

Son,  have  you  forgot 
Those  mellow  autumn  days,  two  years  ago, 
When  first  we  sent  our  little  ship  Half-Moon — 
The  flag  of  Holland  floating  at  her  peak — 


322  ORAL  ENGLISH 

Across  a  sandy  bar,  and  sounded  in 

Among  the  channels  to  a  goodly  bay 

Where  all  the  navies  of  the  world  could  ride? 

A  fertile  island  that  the  redmen  called 

Manhattan  crowned  the  bay;  and  all  the  land 

Around  was  bountiful  and  friendly  fair. 

But  never  land  was  fair  enough  to  hold 

The  seaman  from  the  calling  of  the  waves: 

And  so  we  bore  to  westward,  past  the  isle, 

Along  a  mighty  inlet,  where  the  tide 

Was  troubled  by  a  downward-rolling  flood 

That  seemed  to  come  from  far  away — perhaps 

From  some  mysterious  gulf  of  Tartary? 

We  followed  that  wide  waterway,  by  palisades 

Of  naked  rock  where  giants  might  have  held 

Their  fortress;  and  by  rolling  hills  adorned 

With  forests  rich  in  timber  for  great  ships; 

Through  narrows  where  the  mountains  shut  us  in 

With  frowning  cliffs  that  seemed  to  bar  the  stream; 

And  then  through  open  reaches  where  the  banks 

Sloped  to  the  water  gently,  with  their  fields 

Of  com  and  lentils  smiling  in  the  sun. 

Ten  days  we  voyaged  through  that  placid  land, 

Until  we  came  to  shoals;  and  sent  a  boat 

Upstream,  to  find — what  I  already  knew — 

We  sailed  upon  a  river,  not  a  strait! 

But  what  a  river!    God  has  never  poured 

A  stream  more  royal  through  a  land  more  rich. 

Even  now  I  see  it  flowing  in  my  dream. 

While  coming  ages  people  it  with  men 

Of  manhood  equal  to  the  river's  pride. 

I  see  the  wigwams  of  the  redmen  changed 

To  ample  houses,  and  the  tiny  plots 

Of  maize  and  green  tobacco  broadened  out 

To  prosperous  farms,  that  spread  o'er  hill  and  dale 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  323 

The  many-colored  mantle  of  their  crops. 

I  see  the  terraced  vineyards  on  the  slopes 

Where  now  the  wild  grape  loops  the  tangled  wood; 

And  cattle  feeding  where  the  red  deer  roam; 

And  wild  bees  gathered  into  busy  hives 

To  store  the  silver  comb  with  golden  sweet; 

And  all  the  promised  land  begins  to  flow 

With  milk  and  honey.    Stately  manors  rise 

Along  the  banks,  and  castles  top  the  hills, 

And  little  villages  grow  populous  with  trade, 

Until  the  river  runs  as  proudly  as  the  Rhine, — 

The  thread  that  links  a  hundred  towns  and  towers! 

All  this  I  see,  and  when  it  comes  to  pass 

I  prophesy  a  city  on  the  isle 

They  call  Manhattan,  equal  in  her  state 

To  all  the  older  capitals  of  earth, — 

The  gateway  city  of  a  golden  world, — 

A  city  girt  with  masts,  and  crowned  with  spires, 

And  swarming  with  a  busy  host  of  men, 

While  to  her  open  door,  across  the  bay. 

The  ships  of  all  the  nations  flock  like  doves! 

My  name  will  be  remembered  there,  for  men 

Will  say,  "This  river  and  this  bay  were  found 

By  Henry  Hudson,  on  his  way  to  seek 

The  Northwest  Passage  into  farthest  Inde.^' 

Yes,  yes,  I  sought  it  then,  I  seek  it  still. 
My  great  adventure,  pole-star  of  my  heart! 
For  look  ye,  friends,  our  voyage  is  not  done: 
Somewhere  beyond  these  floating  fields  of  ice. 
Somewhere  along  this  westward  widening  bay, 
Somewhere  beneath  this  luminous  northern  night, 
The  channel  opens  to  the  Orient, — 
I  know  it, — and  some  day  a  little  ship 
Will  enter  there  and  battle  safely  through! 
And  why  not  ours — to-morrow — who  can  tell? 


324  ORAL  ENGLISH 

We  hold  by  hope  as  long  as  life  endures: 
These  are  the  longest  days  of  all  the  year, 
The  world  is  round,  and  God  is  everywhere. 
And  while  our  shallop  floats  we  still  can  steer. 
So  point  her  up,  John  King,  nor  Vest  by  north! 
We'll  keep  the  honor  of  a  certain  aim 
Amid  the  peril  of  uncertain  ways. 
And  sail  ahead,  and  leave  the  rest  to  God. 


SIDNEY  CARTON'S  SACRIFICE  i 

From  The  Only  Way,  a  dramatic  version  by  Freeman  Wills  of  Charles 
Dickens*  novel,  *'A  Tale  of  Two  Cities  " 

Scene.  A  cell  in  the  conciergerie,  Charles  Darney  seated  at  a  table 
asleep.    Enter  John  Barsad  followed  by  Sidney  Carton. 

Barsad:  Come  in.    Lose  no  time.    It's  a  touch  and  go  job  this. 

Carton:  Be  near  at  hand,  that  you  may  enter  the  instant  I  call.  I 
am  prepared  with  a  powerful  drug.  When  you  enter  you  will  find  him 
unconscious.  See  that  assistance  is  ready  to  convey  him  to  the  coach. 
(Exit  Barsad) 

Darn  ay:  Carton! 

Carton:  Of  all  the  people  on  earth  you  least  expected  to  see  me? 

Darn  ay:  I  can  scarcely  believe  it  is  really  you.  You  are  not  a 
prisoner? 

Carton:  No.  I  am  accidentally  possessed  of  a  power  over  one  of 
the  jailors  here,  and  in  virtue  of  that  I  stand  before  you.  I  come  with 
a  request  from  her — your  promised  wife,  dear  Damay. 

Darn  ay:  A  request. 

Carton:  It  is  more  than  that.  It  is  an  entreaty — a  prayer.  You 
have  not  time  to  ask  me  why  I  bring  it,  or  what  it  means.  Do  what  I 
tell  you  and  you  will  know  all.    Off  with  your  coat,  put  on  this  of  mine. 

Darn  ay:  Carton,  there  is  no  escaping  from  this  place.  We  should 
only  die  together.    It  is  madness. 

Carton:  It  would  be  madness  if  I  asked  you  to  escape,  but  do  I? 

^  Reprinted  by  permission  of  Martin  Harvey. 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  325 

Daknay:  My  dear  brave  friend,  it  is  all  no  good.  It  has  been  tried 
a  hundred  times,  and  it  has  always  failed. 

Carton:  Not  my  way,  Darnay,  I  promise  you. 

Darn  ay:  Once  again  I  say — 

Carton:  Yes,  but  why  do  you?  Your  love  dear  Darnay,  for  her 
sake.  Come  let  me  take  this  ribbon  from  your  hair;  now  shake  it  out 
like  this  of  mine.    Good — your  hand — is  it  steady  enough  to  write? 

Darnay:  It  was  when  you  came  in. 

Carton:  Steady  it  again  and  write  what  I  dictate — .  See,  pen — 
ink — paper — are  you  ready? 

Darnay:  To  whom  shall  I  address  it? 

Carton:  That  will  come  last  of  all.  Now.  {Dictates)  I  know  you 
remember  the  words  that  passed  between  us.  It  is  not  in  your  nature  to 
forget  them.    Have  you  got  that? 

Darnay:  I  have.    Is  that  a  weapon  in  your  hand? 

Carton:  No. 

Darnay:  What  is  in  your  hand? 

Carton:  You  shall  know  directly — write  on — /  am  thankful  that 
the  time  has  come  when  I  can  prove  them.  That  I  do  so  now  is  no  sub- 
ject for  regret  or  grief.  (Carton  has  held  his  saturated  handkerchief 
near  Darnay' s  nostrils) 

Darnay:  What  vapor  is  that? 

Carton:  Vapor? 
'    Darnay:  Something  that  crosses  me. 

Carton:  I  am  conscious  of  nothing — ^Regret  or  grief  J  Have  you 
got  that? 

Darnay:  Regret  or — I  hardly  know  what  I  am  writing — Carton  there 
is  a  vapor. 

Carton:  Come  quickly,  another  little  effort — You  have  given  me 
more  than  I  can  tell.  Some  pure  thoughts^  a  few  healing  tears,  perhaps 
a  light  to  shine  in  the  darkness  that  is  so  near,  (Darnay  struggles  as  the 
drug  takes  effect,  Carton  assisting  him  to  lie  upon  the  floor  before  he  is 
entirely  overcome.)    Barsad!    Come  in! 

Bars  AD  {reentering):  All  right. 

Carton:  All  right.    Get  assistance  and  take  me  to  the  coach. 

Barsad:  You? 


326  ORAL  ENGLISH 

Carton:  Him,  man,  with  whom  I  have  exchanged.  Take  him  to  the 
court-yard  near  Dr.  Manette's  lodgings,  place  him  in  the  carriage  you 
will  find  waiting  there,  show  him  to  Mr.  Lorry,  tell  him  to  remembef 
my  words  of  this  morning,  and  his  promise  of  this  morning,  and  drive 
away.  {Exit  Barsad.  Carton  adds  the  last  words  to  the  note  Darney 
has  been  writing)  'A  light  to  shine  in  the  darkness  that  is  so  near.^  Some 
day  she  will  read  this  and  remember — (Carton  places  the  letter  in  Dar- 
nay^s  coat.    Barsad  enters  with  two  jailors.) 

Jailor:  So  afiiicted  for  his  friend?  Oh,  this  is  not  true.  Come, 
come,  one,  two,  three,  now.    (Darn ay  is  carried  out.) 

Barsad.  The  time  is  short  Evremonde.    To-morrow  at  dawn. 

Carton:  I  know  it  well.  Be  careful  of  my  friend,  I  entreat  you, 
{Exit  Barsad) 

THE  DISCOVERY  OF  THE  NORTH  POLE  i 
From  The  North  Pole.    By  Robert  E.  Peary 

The  last  march  northward  ended  at  ten  o'clock  on  the  forenoon  of 
April  6.  I  had  now  made  the  five  marches  planned,  and  my  reckoning 
showed  that  we  were  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  the  goal  of  all 
our  striving.  After  the  usual  arrangements  for  going  into  camp,  at 
approximate  local  noon,  of  the  Columbia  meridian,  I  made  the  first 
observation  at  our  polar  camp.    It  indicated  our  position  as  89**  57'. 

We  were  now  at  the  end  of  the  last  long  march  of  the  upward  journey. 
Yet  with  the  pole  actually  in  sight  I  was  too  weary  to  take  the  last  few 
steps.  As  soon  as  our  igloos  had  been  completed  and  we  had  eaten  our 
dinner  and  double-rationed  the  dogs  I  turned  in  for  a  few  hours  of 
absolutely  necessary  sleep.  The  first  thing  I  did  after  awaking  was  to 
write  these  words  in  my  diary:  "The  Pole  at  last.  The  prize  of  three 
centuries.  My  dream  and  goal  for  twenty  years.  Mine  at  last!  I  can- 
not bring  myself  to  realize  it.    It  seems  all  so  simple  and  commonplace." 

Everything  was  in  readiness  for  an  observation  at  6  P.  M.,  Columbia 
meridian  time,  in  case  the  sky  should  be  clear,  but  at  that  hour  it  was, 
unfortunately,  still  overcast.     But  as  there  were  indications  that  it 

^  Copyright  by  Frederick  A.  Stokes  &  Co.  Reprinted  by  permission  of  the 
author  and  the  publishers. 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  827 

would  clear  before  long,  two  of  the  Esquimos  and  myself  made  ready  a 
light  sledge  carrying  only  the  instruments,  a  tin  of  pemmican,  and  one 
or  two  skins;  and  drawn  by  a  double  team  of  dogs,  we  pushed  on  an 
estimated  distance  of  ten  miles.  While  we  traveled,  the  sky  cleared, 
and  at  the  end  of  the  journey,  I  was  able  to  get  a  satisfactory  series  of 
observations  at  Columbia  meridian  midnight.  These  observations  in- 
dicated that  our  position  was  then  beyond  the  pole. 

Nearly  everything  in  the  circumstances  which  then  surrounded  us 
seemed  too  strange  to  be  thoroughly  realized;  but  one  of  the  strangest 
of  these  circumstances  seemed  to  me  to  be  the  fact  that,  in  a  march  of 
only  a  few  hours,  I  had  passed  from  the  western  to  the  eastern  hem- 
isphere and  had  verified  my  position  at  the  summit  of  the  world.  It  was 
hard  to  realize  that,  in  the  first  miles  of  this  brief  march,  we  had  been 
traveling  due  north,  while,  on  the  last  few  miles  of  the  same  march,  we 
had  been  traveling  south,  although  we  had  all  the  time  been  traveling  in 
precisely  the  same  direction.  It  would  be  difficult  to  imagine  a  better 
illustration  of  the  fact  that  most  things  are  relative.  Again  please  con- 
sider the  uncommon  circumstance  that,  in  order  to  return  to  our  camp, 
it  now  became  necessary  to  turn  and  go  north  again  for  a  few  miles  and 
then  to  go  directly  south,  all  the  time  traveling  in  the  same  direction. 

As  we  passed  back  along  that  trail  which  none  had  ever  seen  before 
or  would  ever  see  again,  certain  reflections  intruded  themselves  which 
I  think,  may  fairly  be  called  unique.  East,  west,  and  north  had  dis- 
appeared for  us.  Only  one  direction  remained  and  that  was  south. 
Every  breeze  which  could  possibly  blow  upon  us,  no  matter  from  what 
point  of  the  horizon,  must  be  a  south  wind.  Where  we  were,  one  day 
and  one  night  constituted  a  year,  a  hundred  such  days  and  nights  con- 
stituted a  century.  Had  we  stood  in  that  spot  during  the  six  months 
of  the  arctic  winter  night,  we  should  have  seen  every  star  of  the  northern 
hemisphere  circling  the  sky  at  the  same  distance  from  the  horizon,  with 
polaris  (^the  north  star)  practically  in  the  zenith. 

All  during  our  march  back  to  camp  the  sun  was  swinging  around  in 
its  ever-moving  circle.  At  six  o^clock  on  the  morning  of  April  7,  having 
again  arrived  at  Camp  Jesup,  I  took  another  series  of  observations. 
These  indicated  our  position  as  being  four  or  five  miles  from  the  Pole, 
towards  Bering  Strait.    Therefore,  with  a  double  team  of  dogs  and  a 


328  ORAL  ENGLISH 

light  sledge,  I  traveled  directly  towards  the  sun  an  estimated  distance 
of  eight  miles.  Again  I  returned  to  the  camp  in  time  for  a  final  and 
completely  satisfactory  series  of  observations  on  April  7  at  noon, 
Columbia  meridian  time.  These  observations  gave  results  essentially 
the  same  as  those  made  at  the  same  spot  twenty-four  hours  before. 

I  had  now  taken  in  all  thirteen  single,  or  six  and  one-half  double, 
altitudes  of  the  sun,  at  two  different  stations,  in  three  different  directions 
at  four  different  times.  All  were  under  satisfactory  conditions,  except 
for  the  first  single  altitude  on  the  sixth.  The  temperature  during  these 
observations  had  been  from  minus  11°  Fahrenheit  to  minus  30°  Fahren- 
heit, with  clear  sky  and  calm  weather. 

Of  course  there  were  some  more  or  less  informal  ceremonies  connected 
with  our  arrival  at  our  difficult  destination,  but  they  were  not  of  a  very 
elaborate  character.  We  planted  five  flags  at  the  top  of  the  world. 
The  first  was  a  silk  American  flag  which  Mrs.  Peary  gave  me  fifteen 
years  ago.  That  fiag  has  done  more  traveling  in  high  latitudes  than 
any  other  ever  made.  I  carried  it  wrapped  about  my  body  on  every  one 
of  my  expeditions  northward  after  it  came  into  my  possession,  and  I 
left  a  fragment  of  it  at  each  of  my  ** farthest  norths:^'  Cape  Morris  K. 
Jesup,  the  northernmost  point  of  land  in  the  known  world;  Cape  Thomas 
Hubbard,  the  northernmost  point  of  Jesup  Land,  west  of  Grant  Land; 
Cape  Columbia,  the  northernmost  point  of  North  American  lands;  and 
my  farthest  north  in  1906,  latitude  87°  6'  in  the  ice  of  the  polar  sea. 
By  the  time  it  actually  reached  the  Pole,  therefore,  it  was  somewhat 
worn  and  discolored. 

A  broad  diagonal  section  of  this  ensign  would  now  mark  the  farthest 
goal  of  earth — the  place  where  I  and  my  dusky  companions  stood. 

It  was  considered  appropriate  to  raise  the  colors  of  the  Delta  Kappa 
Epsilon  fraternity,  in  which  I  was  initiated  a  member  while  an  under- 
graduate student  at  Bowdoin  College,  the  ^'World's  Ensign  of  Liberty 
and  Peace,'*  with  its  red,  white,  and  blue  in  a  field  of  white,  the  Navy 
League  flag  and  the  Red  Cross  flag. 

After  I  had  planted  the  American  flag  in  the  ice,  I  told  Henson  to 
time  the  Esquimos  for  three  rousing  cheers,  which  they  gave  with  the 
greatest  enthusiasm.  Thereupon,  I  shook  hands  with  each  member  of 
the  party — surely  a  sufficiently  unceremonious  affair  to  meet  with  the 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  329 

approval  of  the  most  democratic.  The  Esquimos  were  childishly  de- 
lighted with  our  success.  While,  of  course,  they  did  not  realize  its  im- 
portance fully,  or  its  world  wide  significance,  they  did  understand  that 
it  meant  the  final  achievement  of  a  task  upon  which  they  had  seen  me 
engaged  for  many  years. 

Then,  in  a  space  between  the  ice  blocks  of  a  pressure  ridge,  I  deposited 
a  glass  bottle  containing  a  diagonal  strip  of  my  flag  and  a  copy  of  my 
records. 

AS  MEN  SHOULD! 
By  Leonard  B.  Kendall 

In  a  little  Connecticut  town  there  is  a  factory.  On  the  surface  every- 
thing about  this  factory  is  quite  commonplace.  It  contains  simply 
a  body  of  men  engaged  in  making  hoists.  They  work  carefully  and  well, 
with  due  consideration  as  to  the  details,  for  these  men  happen  to  have 
ideals — which  occasionally  makes  a  difference. 

Down  at  the  end  of  the  long  iron  construction  shed  of  the  Southwest 
Manufacturing  Company  in  Africa  the  great  trip-hammer  was  making 
the  night  hideous  with  its  clamor.  In  the  lurid  glow  from  the  white-hot 
metal  that  soon  was  to  be  the  crane  shaft  in  an  up-country  opal  mine 
stood  four  men  stripped  to  the  waist.  The  sweat  glistened  on  them  as 
they  moved,  and  their  shadows,  monstrous  in  the  flickering  light,  leaped 
and  danced  fantastically  behind  them  on  the  wall. 

Periodically,  on  the  haK-hour,  a  lantern  waved  twice  in  a  semicircle, 
and  of  a  sudden  the  din  ceased.  The  heavy  silence  of  the  South  African 
night  at  once  crowded  in,  and  seemed  tenfold  more  solid  by  comparison. 
The  workers  then  sat  down  on  packing-cases  to  rest,  and  took  turns 
swabbing  themselves  with  a  wet  sponge,  for  the  big  thermometer  on 
the  wall  registered  something  over  one  hundred  degrees.  In  the  far 
distance,  at  intervals,  a  desert  jackal  howled  dismally,  while  the  never- 
ending  rain  pattered  softly  on  the  tin  roof. 

Rain,  rain,  nothing  but  rain.  A  million  tiny  drops,  each  one  in  time 
becoming  part  of  the  dark  streamlet  that  flowed  steadily  around  the 
corner  of  the  construction  shed,  carrying  with  it  its  toll  of  sediment.   And 

^Reprinted  by  permission  of  the  author  and  The  Outlook  Company. 


330  ORAL  ENGLISH 

still  it  rained.  Soon  the  clanging  anvils  took  up  their  note  again,  in 
minor  key  to  the  shuddering  thunder  of  the  mighty  trip-hammer,  while 
the  forges  roared  and  whispered  among  themselves  under  the  force  of 
the  air  blast.  But  always  in  the  pauses  it  was  the  subdued  tinkle  of 
running  water  that  made  itself  felt. 

A  tiny  rivulet  began  tentatively  feeling  its  way  over  the  hard-packed 
earth  of  the  floor  towards  where,  in  the  corner,  stood  the  base  of  the 
derrick  that  had  been  swinging  full  cases  up  in  tiers  to  await  shipment. 
Farther  it  reached,  and  still  farther,  till  it  encircled  one  of  the  supports. 
Then,  as  if  its  missions  were  accomplished,  it  ran  off  quickly  elsewhere. 
The  half-clad  figures  that  hurried  by  in  the  dimness,  which  seemed  only 
emphasized  by  the  hanging  lanterns,  heeded  it  not,  for  what  is  a  little 
water  when  rush  work  is  toward  in  the  German  Southwest? 

By  degrees  the  trickle  grew  larger.  It  dug  with  growing  strength 
at  the  soil  by  the  base  of  the  derrick,  which,  little  by  little,  it  gathered 
up  and  carried  away.  In  the  course  of  time  one  corner  sagged  slightly, 
and  the  rigid  guy-wire  opposite,  as  it  felt  the  pull  of  thirty  tons  of  steel, 
began  murmuring  to  itself  like  a  live  thing  under  the  strain. 

With  the  crashing  shock  of  the  fall  was  mingled  a  sound  which  was 
never  born  of  splintering  wood  nor  flying  metal,  and,  as  if  at  a  given 
signal,  silence  fell  along  the  length  of  the  whole  shop.  A  few  sharp 
orders  rang  out,  and  the  great  overhead  crane  came  trundling  down  the 
line.    When  it  stopped,  it  failed  to  reach  the  spot  by  almost  ten  feet. 

The  noise  of  the  crowbar  as  a  man  pried  ineffectually  at  the  fallen 
mass  was,  for  a  while,  the  only  sound.  Underneath  something  moved 
suggestively,  and  a  man's  leg  protruded. 

"He's  not  caught  yet,  but  this  water's  underminin'  and  she's  sinkin' 
down  on  him,"  declared  the  one  with  the  crowbar.  "Somebody  get  a 
hoist!" 

"There  ain't  a  one  that  can  be  used,"  replied  a  man.  Whereupon  the 
old  shop  foreman  got  to  his  feet  from  where  he  was  examining  the  wreck, 
and  spoke:  "There's  a  Holton  Biplex  in  the  shed — get  it,"  he  said.  And 
four  men  drove  hastily  out  into  the  night,  while  the  rest  stood  impo- 
tently  by,  watching  while  the  fallen  mass  sunk  imperceptibly  lower. 
The  little  rivulet  was  doing  its  work  well. 

From  out  of  the  dark  the  four  returned,  dripping  water  as  they  raa 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  331 

Between  them  swung  the  chain  that  was  to  pull  a  man  back  from  the 
brink  of  eternity.  One  of  them  clambered  up  the  tiers  of  boxes  to  ar- 
range the  hook  on  a  steel  girder  above. 

A  six-foot  native  sledgeman  elbowed  his  way  to  the  fore. 

''Dat  hoist  eet  be  for  twentee  tons  an'  dees  be  t'irtee,"  he  declared 
stolidly,  pointing  a  grimy  forefinger;  "she  slip — an'  eef  she  fall  again — " 
He  looked  suggestively  at  the  protruding  foot,  which  moved  feebly. 

"For  twenty-five  years  IVe  seen  the  Holton  Biplex  working  in  the 
shops,"  replied  the  old  foreman,  peering  over  his  spectacles.  "String 
her  up — she  won't  slip."  So  the  load  was  adjusted  and  three  men  put 
on  the  lift-chain. 

At  the  word  they  hauled  evenly  and  well,  and  only  the  sharp  click 
as  each  link  passed  over  the  sprocket  bespoke  the  tremendous  strain, 
but  still — it  did  not  slip ! 

Off  in  the  dim  background  some  deserted  forges  were  sighing  to  them- 
selves. Now  and  again  the  flames  leaped  up,  casting  into  high  relief 
the  group  of  silent  men  about  the  wreck.  A  breath  of  tragedy  was  in 
the  air,  yet  they  gazed  stolidly.  The  half-naked  great  bodies,  with  their 
bulging  muscles,  bulked  large  in  the  half-light. 

Slowly,  very  slowly,  the  big  mass  was  lifting.  Link  by  link  the  slender 
chain  supporting  it  moved  upward  into  the  darkness  overhead.  The 
iron  hook  was  bending  gradually,  but  no  break  appeared. 

They  raised  it  two  feet  more  and  got  him  free,  before  the  hook  straight- 
ened out  and  the  collapse  came.  A  life  was  saved,  because  out  beyond 
the  night,  ten  thousand  miles  away,  in  a  little  Connecticut  town,  a 
body  of  men  happened  to  have  had  ideals,  had  done  their  work  care- 
fully and  well,  with  due  attention  to  details — as  men  should. 

AMERICAN  INTEGRITY! 

From  Addresses  and  Papers.    By  Charles  Evans  Hughes 

The  typical  American  does  not  seek  idleness  but  work.  He  wants 
to  justify  himself  by  proved  capacity  in  useful  effort.  Under  different 
conditions  he  still  has  the  spirit  of  those  who  faced  the  wilderness, 

!  Reprinted  by  permission  of  G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons. 


332  ORAL  ENGLISH 

advanced  the  outposts  of  civilization,  and  settled  a  continent  of  match* 
less  resources,  where  has  been  laid  the  basis  for  a  wider  diffusion  oi 
prosperity  among  a  greater  population  than  the  world  has  ever  known. 

To  whatever  department  of  activity  we  turn,  after  making  all  nec- 
essary allowances  for  ignorance,  shiftlessness  and  vice,  we  still  find 
throughout  the  country,  dominant  and  persuasive,  the  note  of  energy 
and  resistless  ambition.  The  vitality  of  the  people  has  not  been  sapped 
by  prosperity.  The  increase  of  comfort  has  not  impaired  their  virility. 
We  are  still  a  hardy  people,  equal  to  our  task,  and  pressing  forward 
vigorous  and  determined  in  every  direction  to  enlarge  the  record  of 
achievement. 

It  is  easy,  looking  at  phases  of  our  life  in  an  absolute  way,  for  one  who 
is  pessimistically  inclined  to  gather  statistics  which  superficially  con- 
sidered are  discouraging.  Congestion  in  our  great  cities,  the  widened 
opportunities  for  the  play  of  selfishness,  and  the  increase  of  temptations 
following  in  the  wake  of  prosperity,  give  rise  to  an  appalling  number  and 
variety  of  private  and  public  wrongs  whose  thousands  of  victims  voice 
an  undying  appeal  to  humanity  and  patriotism. 

But  one  would  form  a  very  inaccurate  judgment  of  our  moral  con- 
dition by  considering  these  wrongs  alone.  They  must  be  considered  in 
their  relation  to  other  phases  of  our  life.  We  must  not  fail  to  take  note 
of  the  increasing  intensity  of  the  desire  to  find  remedies  and  the  earnest- 
ness with  which  all  forms  of  evil  and  oppression  are  attacked. 

Considering  the  tremendous  increase  in  the  opportunities  for  wrong- 
doing, the  seductive  and  refined  temptations,  and  the  materialistic 
appeals  that  are  incident  to  our  present  mode  of  life,  and  the  material 
comforts  which  invention  and  commerce  have  made  possible,  I  beheve 
that  the  manner  in  which  the  ethical  development  of  the  people  has  kept 
pace  with  their  progress  in  other  directions  may  fairly  be  called  extraor- 
dinary. 

In  saying  this,  I  am  not  at  all  unmindful  of  how  far  short  we  come 
of  an  ideal  state  of  society.  On  the  contrary,  existing  evils  are  the  more 
noticeable,  because  they  stand  out  in  strong  contrast  to  the  desires  and 
aspirations  of  the  people.  We  have  had  disclosures  of  shocking  infidelity 
to  trust  and  to  public  obligation,  but  more  important  than  the  evil  dis- 
closed was  the  attitude  of  the  people  toward  it.    Individual  short- 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  333 

comings  are  many,  but  the  moral  judgment  of  the  community  is  keen 
and  severe. 

To-day  the  American  people  are  more  alive  to  the  importance  ol 
impartial  and  honorable  administration  than  ever  before.  They  do  not 
simply  discuss  it;  they  demand  it.  While  in  many  communities  ad- 
ministration is  controlled  in  the  selfish  interest  of  a  few  to  the  detriment 
of  the  people,  that  which  is  more  characteristic  of  our  present  political 
life  is  the  determination  that  selfish  abuse  of  governmental  machinery 
shall  stop. 

Let  there  be  no  vague  fears  about  the  outcome.  I  place  full  confidence 
in  the  sobriety  and  integrity  of  motive  of  the  American  people.  I  have 
profound  belief  in  their  ability  to  cure  existing  evils  without  disturbing 
their  prosperity.  I  am  convinced  that  we  shall  have  more  and  more 
intelligent  and  unselfish  representation  of  the  people's  interests:  that 
political  leadership  will  be  tested  more  and  more  by  the  soundness  of 
its  counsel  and  the  disinterestedness  of  its  ambition. 

I  believe  that  with  an  increasing  proportion  of  true  representation, 
with  increasing  discriminating  public  discussion,  with  the  patient  ap- 
plication of  sound  judgment  to  the  consideration  of  public  measures, 
and  with  the  inflexible  determination  to  end  abuses  and  to  purify  the 
administration  of  government  of  self  interest,  we  shall  realize  a  greater 
prosperity  and  a  wider  diffusion  of  the  blessing  of  free  government  than 
we  have  hitherto  been  able  to  enjoy. 

CLIMBING  TO  A  STEEPLE-TOP  i 
From  Careers  of  Danger  and  Daring.    By  Cleveland  Moffett 

It  came  to  my  knowledge  that  Robert  Merrill,  otherwise  known  as 
Steeple  ''Bob,"  had  agreed  to  "do"  that  famous  Brooklyn  Church  of 
the  Pilgrims,  with  its  queer,  crooked  spire  and  big  brass  ball,  a  landmark 
on  Columbia  Heights. 

"  It's  one  of  those  easy  jobs  that  is  the  hardest,"  said  Merrill.  " Come 
over  and  see  us  use  the  stirrups.  If  you  like,  you  can  go  up  on  the  swing 
yourself! " 

I  expressed  my  thanks  as  I  would  do  to  a  lion-tamer  offering  me  the 

^  Reprinted  by  permission  of  The  Century  Company. 


334  ORAL  ENGLISH 

hospitality  of  his  cages.  Then  I  reflected,  with  a  kind  of  shame,  that 
I  had  drawn  back  from  daring  only  once  what  they  dare  every  day, 
what  they  must  dare  for  their  living.  And  I  reasoned  myself  into  a 
feeling  that  it  was  my  duty  to  go  up  that  steeple  on  the  swing,  as  Merrill 
had  proposed.    In  this  mind  I  went  to  the  church  the  next  day. 

I  found  all  hands  on  the  ^'bell-deck''  spreading  out  packets  of  patent 
gilding  for  the  ball  which  awaited  its  new  dress,  all  sticky  from  a  fresh 
coat  of  sizing. 

As  to  my  going  up  on  the  swing  there  was  no  difficulty.  Lawlor 
would  go  first,  and  be  there  to  keep  me  in  good  heart,  for  they  say  it  is 
not  well  for  a  novice  to  be  at  a  steeple-top  alone.  Merrill  would  see  to 
the  lashings,  and  Walter  would  give  a  hand  at  the  hauling-Hne.  There 
we  were  at  the  top  of  the  tower,  and  at  the  base  of  the  steeple,  Lawlor, 
red-faced  and  red  shirted,  preparing  to  ascend;  Merrill,  pale,  as  he  always 
is,  but  powerful,  standing  at  the  ropes;  and  I,  in  shirt-sleeves  and  bare- 
headed, watching  Walter  make  a  little  harness  for  my  kodak. 

After  a  time  Lawlor,  having  reached  the  top,  called  down  something, 
and  Merrill  answered.  It  was  my  turn  now.  I  climbed  out  through  a 
small  window  and  stood  on  the  ledge,  while  '^ Steeple  Bob"  dropped 
the  swing  noose  over  my  head  and  proceeded  to  lash  me  fast  to  seat 
and  ropes. 

"That's  in  case  a  suicidal  impulse  should  get  hold  of  you!'^  he  said 
smiling,  but  meaning  it.  ''Now,  keep  this  rope  between  your  legs  and 
work  your  hands  up  along  it  as  we  lift  you.    It's  anchored  to  St.  Peter." 

Then  he  explained  how  I  was  to  press  my  toes  against  the  steeple 
side,  so  as  to  keep  my  knees  from  barking  on  the  shingles, 
i      "And  don't  look  down  at  all,"  he  told  me.    "Just  watch  your  ropes 
and  take  it  easy.    Are  you  ready?" 

At  this  moment  Walter  said  something  in  a  low  tone,  and  Merrill 
asked  me  to  lend  him  my  knife.  I  handed  it  out,  and  he  stuck  it  in  his 
pocket.  "You  don't  need  this  now,"  said  he,  and  a  moment  later  the 
pulley  ropes  tightened  and  my  small  swing-board  lifted  under  me.  I 
was  rising. 

"Shove  off  there  with  your  toes! "  he  cried.  "Take  short  steps.  Put 
your  legs  wider  apart.  Wider  yet.  You  don't  have  to  pull  on  the  rope. 
Just  slide  your  hands  along.    Now  you're  going! " 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  335 

I  saw  nothing  but  the  steeple  side  in  front  of  me,  and  the  Hfe-Une 
hanging  down  Uke  a  bell-rope  between  my  spread  legs,  and  the  pulley- 
block  creaking  by  my  head,  and  the  toes  of  my  shoes  as  I  pressed  them 
against  the  shingles  step  by  step.  I  smiled  to  think  of  the  odd  appear- 
ance I  must  present  from  below.  And  then  for  the  first  time  I  let  my 
eyes  turn  into  the  depths,  and  caught  a  glimpse  of  men  on  housetops 
watching  me.  I  saw  Merrill's  upturned  face  down  where  the  ropes 
ended.    And  I  saw  Uttle  horses  wriggling  along  on  the  street. 

There  were  three  places  where  the  steeple  narrowed  into  slenderer 
lengths,  and  at  each  one  was  a  sort  of  cornice  to  be  scrambled  over 
(and  loose  nails  to  be  avoided),  and  then  more  careful  steering  with 
legs  and  toes  to  keep  on  one  particular  face  of  the  steeple  and  not  swing 
off  and  come  bumping  back,  a  disconcerting  possibility.  "Hello!" 
called  Lawlor  presently,  from  above.  "You're  doing  fine.  Come  right 
along."  And  before  I  knew  it  the  swing  had  stopped.  I  was  at  the 
top,  or  as  near  it  as  the  tackle  could  take  me. 

The  remaining  fifteen  feet  or  so  must  be  made  with  stirrups.  And 
there  was  Lawlor  standing  in  them  up  by  the  ball.  There  was  not  a 
stick  of  staging  to  support  him  (he  had  scorned  the  bother  of  hauling 
up  boards  for  so  simple  a  job),  and  he  was  working  with  both  hands  free, 
each  leg  standing  on  its  stirrup,  and  several  hitches  of  life-line  holding 
him  to  the  shaft  top  by  his  waist.  This  steeple-lassoing  exploit  was 
one  of  the  things  I  certainly  would  not  attempt — would  not  and  could 
not. 

Strangely  enough,  as  I  hung  there  at  rest  I  felt  the  danger  more  than 
coming  up.  It  seemed  most  perilous  to  rest  my  weight  on  the  swing- 
board,  and  I  found  myself  holding  my  legs  drawn  up,  with  muscles 
tense,  as  if  that  could  make  me  lighter.  Gradually  I  realized  the  fool- 
ishness of  this,  and  relaxed  into  greater  comfort,  but  not  entirely.  Even 
veteran  steeple-climbers  waste  much  strength  in  needless  clutching; 
cannot  free  their  bodies  from  this  instinctive  fear. 

I  stayed  up  long  enough  to  take  three  photographs  (some  minutes 
passed  before  I  could  unlash  my  kodak),  and  here  I  had  further  proof 
of  subconscious  fright,  for  I  made  such  blunders  with  shutter  and  focus 
length  as  would  put  the  youngest  amateur  to  shame.  Two  pictures  out 
of  the  three  were  failures,  and  the  third  but  an  indifferent  succesa 


336  ORAL  ENGLISH 

There  is  one  thing  to  be  said  in  extenuation,  that  a  steeple  is  never 
still,  but  always  rocking  and  trembling.  When  Lawlor  changed  his 
stirrup  hitches  or  moved  from  side  to  side  the  old  beams  would  groan 
under  us,  and  the  whole  structure  rock.  "She'd  rock  more,"  said 
Lawlor,  "if  she  was  better  built.    A  good  steeple  always  rocks." 

There  wasn't  much  more  to  do  up  there,  and  presently  we  exchanged 
jirks  on  the  line  for  the  descent.  And  Lawlor  cried:  "Lower  away! 
Hang  on,  now! "  And  I  did  over  again  my  humble  part  of  leg-spreading 
and  toe-steering,  with  the  result  that  presently  I  was  down  on  the 
"bell-deck"  again,  receiving  congratulations. 

"Here's  your  knife,"  said  Merrill,  after  he  had  unlashed  me. 

"What  did  you  take  it  for?"    I  asked. 

"Oh,  men  sometimes  get  a  mania  to  cut  the  ropes  when  they  go  up 
the  first  time.  And  that  isn't  good  for  their  health.  ^I  was  pretty  sure 
you'd  keep  your  head,  but  I  wasn't  taking  any  chances." 

After  this  came  thanks  and  warm  hand-grips  all  around,  and  then  I 
left  these  daring  men  to  their  duties,  and  went  down  the  lower  ladders. 
I  am  sure  I  never  appreciated  the  simple  privilege  of  standing  on  a 
sidewalk  as  I  did,  a  few  minutes  later,  when  I  left  the  Church  of  the 
Pilgrims. 

EXTRACT  FROM  INAUGURAL  ADDRESS  i 

By  WooDRow  Wilson 

This  is  the  high  enterprise  of  the  new  day:  to  lift  everything  that 
concerns  our  life  as  a  nation  to  the  light  that  shines  from  the  hearthfire 
of  every  man's  conscience  and  vision  of  the  right.  It  is  inconceivable 
that  we  should  do  this  as  partisans;  it  is  inconceivable  we  should  do 
it  in  ignorance  of  the  facts  as  they  are  or  in  blind  haste.  We  shall  re- 
store, not  destroy.  We  shall  deal  with  our  economic  system  as  it  is 
and  as  it  may  be  modified,  not  as  it  might  be  if  we  had  a  clean  sheet  of 
paper  to  write  upon;  and  step  by  step  we  shall  make  it  what  it  should 
be,  in  the  spirit  of  those  who  question  their  own  wisdom  and  seek  coun- 
sel and  knowledge,  not  shallow  self-satisfaction  or  the  excitement  of 

^  Reprinted  by  permission  of  Mr.  Wilson. 


SELECTIONS  FOR  PRACTICE  337 

excursions  whither  they  cannot  tell.  Justice,  and  only  justice,  shall 
always  be  our  motto. 

And  yet  it  will  be  no  cool  process  of  mere  science.  The  nation  has 
been  deeply  stirred,  stirred  by  a  solemn  passion,  stirred  by  the  knowl- 
edge of  wrong,  of  ideals  lost,  of  government  too  often  debauched  and 
made  an  instrument  of  evil.  The  feelings  with  which  we  face  this  new 
age  of  right  and  opportunity  sweep  across  our  heartstrings  like  some 
air  out  of  God's  own  presence,  where  justice  and  mercy  are  reconciled 
and  the  judge  and  the  brother  are  one.  We  know  our  task  to  be  no 
mere  task  of  politics  but  a  task  which  shall  search  us  through  and 
through,  whether  we  be  able  to  understand  our  time  and  the  need  of 
our  people,  whether  we  be  indeed  their  spokesmen  and  interpreters, 
whether  we  have  the  pure  heart  to  comprehend  and  the  rectified  will 
to  choose  our  high  course  of  action. 

This  is  not  a  day  of  triumph;  it  is  a  day  of  dedication.  Here  muster, 
not  the  forces  of  party,  but  the  forces  of  humanity.  Men's  hearts  wait 
upon  us;  men's  lives  hang  in  the  balance;  men's  hopes  call  upon  us  to 
say  what  we  will  do.  Who  shall  live  up  to  the  great  trust?  Who  dares 
fail  to  try?  I  summon  all  honest  men,  all  patriotic,  all  forward-looking 
men,  to  my  side.  God  helping  me,  I  will  not  fail  them,  if  they  will  but 
counsel  and  sustain  me! 


BIOGRAPHICAL  NOTES 

Ade,  George.  1866-  .  Author  and  playwright.  "The  County 
Chairman"  and  "The  College  Widow"  are  among  his  best 
known  plays. 

Alcott,  Louisa  M.  1832-1888.  Most  popular  works  are  "Little 
Women,"  "Little  Men,"  "An  Old-Fashioned  Girl"  and  "Jo's 
Boys." 

Aytoun,  William  Edmondstoune.  1813-1865.  A  Scottish  lawyer 
and  poet  and  a  grandson  of  Sir  Robert  Aytoun.  Editor  of 
Blackwood's  Magazine  and  Professor  of  Literature  at  Uni- 
versity of  Edinburgh. 

Balzac,  Honore  de.  1799-1850.  The  greatest  of  French  noveUsts, 
and  the  chief  of  the  realistic  school  among  French  writers.  His 
early  inclination  to  write  was  strongly  opposed  by  his  family, 
but  he  persisted  and  published  his  first  novel  of  merit  in  1829. 

Browning,  Elizabeth  Barrett.  1806-1861.  Wife  of  Robert  Brown- 
ing, and  ranked  among  the  most  gifted  of  female  poets.  Her 
''  Sonnets  from  the  Portuguese  "  are  considered  her  best  poems. 

Browning,  Robert.  1812-1889.  Browning  and  Tennyson  are  the 
two  foremost  poets  of  the  Victorian  era.  Browning  is  the 
great  poet  of  the  human  soul,  and  gives  us  a  message  of  faith 
and  hope.  He  spent  most  of  his  fife  in  Italy,  and  is  buried  in 
Westminster  Abbey. 

Bryant,  William  Cullen.  1794-1878.  Called  "the  landscape  poet 
of  New  England  scenery,"  and  the  "Wordsworth  of  America." 
He  was  editor  in  chief  of  the  New  York  Evening  Post  for  fifty 
years. 

339 


340  BIOGRAPHICAL  NOTES 

Burton,  Richard.  1859-  .  Editor,  author,  lecturer,  and  pro- 
fessor of  English  Literature  at  the  University  of  Minnesota. 
His  works  are  chiefly  essays  and  poems. 

Cable,  George  W.  1844-  .  Served  in  the  Fourth  Mississippi 
Cavalry,  C.  S.  A.,  1863-5;  reported  for  New  Orleans  Picayune, 
1865-79;  since  that  date  has  devoted  himself  to  Hterature. 
His  delineation  of  Creole  characters  in  his  novels  has  made 
him  well  known. 

Daudet,  Alphonse.  1840-1897.  French  humorist,  poet,  and  novel- 
ist. He  began  writing  when  he  was  in  his  teens.  Settled  in 
Paris  in  1857  and  began  contributing  to  papers  and  periodicals. 
His  first  novel  appeared  in  1874. 

Davenport,  Homer.  1867-1912.  Cartoonist  for  the  New  York 
Journal  and  the  New  York  Evening  Mail.  His  work  caused 
the  attempt  to  pass  the  anti-cartoon  bill  in  New  York  in  1897. 
In  1906  he  was  granted  permission  by  the  Sultan  of  Turkey 
to  export  twenty-seven  Arabian  horses  to  America. 

Dickens,  Charles.  1812-1870.  The  poverty  and  hardships  of  his 
early  life  enabled  him  to  make  the  English  poor  live  in  his 
writings.  His  sixteen  novels  did  more  than  all  the  English 
statesmen  of  his  time  to  better  the  conditions  of  the  lower 
classes.     His  books  still  rank  among  the  best  sellers. 

Doyle,  A.  Conan.  1859-  .  English  physician  and  novelist. 
His  list  of  publications  is  a  very  long  one.  ''Adventures  of 
Sherlock  Holmes''  is  the  work  by  which  he  is  most  widely 
known.    He  was  knighted  in  1902. 

Eastman,  C.  Alexander.  1858-  .  Acting  as  government  phy- 
sician at  various  agencies  for  Indians,  has  made  him  familiar 
with  Indian  life  and  equipped  him  well  to  write  of  Indian  cus- 
toms, manners,  and  romance. 

Ford,  Paul  Leicester.  1865-1902.  American  author.  Among  his 
works  are  ''The  True  George  Washington,"    "The  Many- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  NOTES  341 

sided  Franklin'^  and  "Janice  Meredith/'     "The  Honorable 
Peter  Sterhng"  is  his  best  work. 

Franklin,  Benjamin.  1706-1790.  American  philosopher  and 
statesman.  Published  Poor  Richard's  Almanac  for  twenty- 
five  years.  Although  he  began  his  career  in  poverty,  yet  he 
became  one  of  the  greatest  men  of  his  time,  and  was  recognized 
at  home  and  abroad  for  his  services  to  his  fellowmen  and  to 
his  country. 

Garrison,  Theodosia.  Born  Newark,  N.  J.  Author  of  "Joy  o' 
Life"  and  "The  Earth  Cry."  Contributor  of  poems  and 
stories  to  magazines. 

Gordon,  Charles  William.  1860-  .  Pseudonym,  Ralph  Con- 
nor. Clergyman  and  author.  Missionary  in  Rocky  Mountain 
districts  of  Canada,  for  which  work  he  secured  large  sums  from 
British  churches.  Minister  of  St.  Stephen's,  Winnepeg,  since 
1894. 

Hale,  Edward  Everett.  1822-1909.  Clergyman  and  author. 
Pastor  of  South  Congregational  Church,  Boston,  for  more 
than  fifty  years  and  chaplain  of  the  United  States  Senate. 
"The  Man  Without  a  Country"  is  his  best  short  story. 

Hewlett,  Maurice.  1861-  .  Enghsh  novehst.  His  first  novel 
appeared  in  1895.  A  fresh  novel  from  his  pen  has  been  pub- 
lished nearly  every  year  since  that  date. 

Hillis,  Newell  Dwight.  1858-  .  Clergyman,  author,  and  lec- 
turer. He  is  successor  to  Henry  Ward  Beecher  and  Lyman 
Abbott  as  pastor  of  Plymouth  Church,  Brooklyn. 

Holmes,  Oliver  Wendell.  1809-1894.  Physician,  poet,  essayist, 
novelist,  humorist,  and  philosopher.  Probably  the  most  versa- 
tile of  all  American  writers.  His  "Autocrat  of  the  Breakfast 
Table,"  alone,  is  enough  to  make  him  famous. 

Howell,  Clark.  1863-  .  Editor  and  statesman.  Editor  of 
"The  Atlanta  Constitution,"  ex-speaker  of  the  House  of 
Representatives,  Georgia  Legislature. 


342  BIOGRAPHICAL  NOTES 

Hughes,  Charles  Evans.  1862-  .  Jurist  and  statesman.  Ex- 
governor  of  the  State  of  New  York,  associate  justice  of  the 
supreme  court  of  the  United  States. 

Irving,  Washington.  1783-1859.  Essayist,  novehst,  historian. 
With  matchless  hterary  style,  he  gives  us  dehghtful  descrip- 
tion as  in  ''Rural  Life  in  England,"  genial  humor  as  in  the 
'Christmas  Sketches,"  and  tender  pathos  as  in  "The  Pride 
of  the  Village." 

Kendall,  Leonard  B.    1891-        .    Contributor  to  periodicals. 

Lanier,  Sidney.  1842-1881.  Musician,  poet,  and  critic.  Occupied 
the  chair  of  English  Literature  at  Johns  Hopkins  University. 
Since  his  death  his  poetry  has  been  accorded  a  much  higher 
place  in  Hterature  than  was  given  it  while  he  lived. 

Lincoln,  Abraham.  1809-1865.  Sixteenth  president  of  the  United 
States,  and  savior  of  the  Union.  His  remarkable  speech  of 
consecration  to  the  cause  of  his  country  was  made  when  he 
was  but  thirty-one  years  old. 

Livermore,  Mary  A.  1821-1905.  American  reformer  and  lec- 
turer. She  is  best  known  by  her  work  in  sanitary  reforms  for 
the  benefit  of  soldiers  during  the  Civil  War. 

Mansfield,  Richard.  1857-1907.  A  German-American  actor  and 
playwright.  He  was  successful  in  several  Shakespearian  roles, 
but  is  best  remembered  for  his  acting  in  "Beau  Brummel" 
and  in  "  Dr.  Jekyll  and  Mr.  Hyde." 

Markham,  Edwin.  1852-  .  Poet,  writer,  and  lecturer.  Bom 
Oregon  City,  Oregon.  His  poem,  "The  Man  with  the  Hoe," 
so  well  known,  appeared  in  1899. 

Matthews,  Brander.  1852-  .  Poet,  essayist,  critic,  and  pro- 
fessor of  dramatic  literature  at  Columbia  University.  He 
has  a  large  acquaintance  with  hterary  people  both  in  England 
and  America,  and  has  published  a  variety  of  works. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  NOTES  343 

Mitchell,  S.  Weir.  1829-  .  Neurologist  and  novelist.  His 
early  writings,  beginning  about  1860,  were  upon  medical  sub- 
jects, but  since  1880  he  has  directed  his  efforts  mostly  to  fiction. 

Moffett,  Cleveland.  1863-  .  Editor  and  author.  Associated 
with  the  New  York  Recorder  and  the  New  York  Herald.  His 
*^  Careers  of  Danger  and  Daring ''  was  pubHshed  in  1901. 

Moore,  F.  Frankfort.  1855-  .  Irish  novelist  and  dramatist. 
He  published  verses  as  early  as  1875.  Besides  his  many  novels 
he  has  written  several  successful  plays. 

Noyes,  Alfred.  1880-  .  English  poet.  He  has  contributed 
poems  to  both  English  and  American  periodicals,  and  has 
already  been  widely  recognized  as  a  poet  of  worth. 

Peary,  Robert  E.  1856-  .  Arctic  explorer.  He  started  on  his 
eighth  Arctic  expedition,  July,  1908.  He  reached  the  North 
Pole,  April  6,  1909.  He  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Rear- 
Admiral,  and  given  the  thanks  of  Congress  by  special  act 
March  3,  1911. 

Proctor,  Bryan  Waller.  1787-1874.  Pseudonym,  Barry  Cornwall. 
Enghsh  poet.  Byron  and  Sir  Robert  Peel  were  his  schoolmates, 
and  later  in  life  he  counted  Dickens,  Thackeray,  Tennyson, 
Browning  and  Carlyle  among  his  friends.  He  was  at  his  best 
in  lyric  poetry. 

Reade,  Charles.  1814-1884.  Enghsh  novehst  and  playwright. 
Reade  studied  the  great  art  of  fiction  closely  for  fifteen  years 
before  he  ventured  to  write  a  word  of  it.  "Peg  Woffington'^ 
was  first  written  in  the  form  of  a  play,  and  then  turned  into  a 
novel.  "The  Cloister  and  the  Hearth ^^  is  his  masterpiece,  and 
is  pronounced  truer  than  history. 

Redpath,  James.  1833-1891.  Scottish-American  editor,  lecturer, 
and  historian.  He  was  associated  with  the  New  York  Tribune, 
the  North  American  Review,  and  for  several  years  pubhshed 
his  own  paper,  "Redpath^s  Weekly." 


344  BIOGRAPHICAL  NOTES 

Riis,  Jacob  A.  1849-  .  Danish-American  journalist  and 
philanthropist.  Besides  his  work  as  police  reporter  to  the 
New  York  Sun,  he  has  been  active  in  the  small  parks  and  play- 
ground movement,  and  in  tenement  house  and  school  reform. 

Riley,  James  Whitcomb.  1853-  .  A  Ijo-ic  poet.  Much  of  his 
verse  is  in  the  Middle  Western  or  Hoosier  dialect,  and  he  is 
known  as  "the  Hoosier  poet.''  He  has  pictured  children  and 
home  life  so  well  that  his  name  is  a  household  word. 

Roberts,  Charles  C.  D.  1860-  .  Canadian  author,  editor,  and 
poet.  Published  a  volume  of  poems  in  1903,  ^'Hunters  of  the 
Silences''  in  1904,  ^'The  Watchers  of  the  Trails"  in  1907,  and 
"The  House  in  the  Water"  in  1908. 

Roosevelt,  Theodore.  1858-  .  Ex-governor  of  New  York 
State,  Lieutenant  Colonel  in  the  Spanish-American  War,  the 
twenty-sixth  president  of  the  United  States,  advocate  of  re- 
forms municipal  and  national,  on  the  staff  of  the  Outlook. 

Rossetti,  Dante  Gabriel.  1828-1882.  Painter  and  poet.  He 
translated  poems  of  the  early  Italian  poets,  and  brought  out  a 
volume  of  his  own  poetry.  "The  Blessed  Damozel"  is  one  of 
his  best. 

Shakespeare,  William.  1564-1616.  Shakespeare  is  admitted 
to  be  the  greatest  literary  genius  of  all  time.  The  thirty-seven 
dramas  he  wrote  are  his  lasting  memorial.  To  know  his  works 
well  and  to  appreciate  them  is  a  liberal  education. 

Sims,  George  R.  1847-  .  English  verse  writer,  dramatist,  and 
journahst.  He  is  the  author  of  "The  Life  Boat,"  ''The  Old 
Actor's  Story,"  ''In  the  Harbor,"  "The  Ticket  o'Leave," 
"Billy's  Rose,"  and  many  other  popular  recitations. 

Stevenson,  Robert  Louis.  1850-1894.  Scottish  essayist,  romancer, 
and  poet.  Educated  at  Edinburgh  University.  He  was  called 
to  the  Scottish  bar,  but  never  practiced.  The  last  five  years  of 
his  life  were  spent  at  Samoa.  He  is  one  of  the  most  populai 
of  modern  writers. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  NOTES  345 

Taft,  William  Howard.  1857-  .  Secretary  of  War  in  the  cabi- 
net of  President  Roosevelt,  the  twenty-seventh  President  of 
the  United  States.  Eminent  for  his  knowledge  of  international 
affairs  and  his  success  as  a  diplomat. 

Tyndall,  John.  1820-1893.  British  physicist.  Occupied  the  chair 
of  Natural  Philosophy  at  the  Royal  Institution,  London;  ex- 
plored with  Huxley  the  glaciers  of  Switzerland  in  1856,  thus 
beginning  a  study  to  which  he  gave  much  attention. 

Van  Dyke,  Henry.  1852-  .  Clergyman,  author,  and  educator. 
Professor  of  English  Literature  at  Princeton  University,  1900- 
1913.  Minister  to  Holland,  1913-  .  His  works  include 
sermons,  essays,  poems  and  stories.  He  has  written  of  his 
fishing  excursions  in  ^'Little  Rivers. '^ 

Walker,  H.  Wilfred.  Traveler  and  fellow  of  the  Royal  Geographi- 
cal Society. 

Ward,  Herbert.  African  traveler,  sculptor,  and  Knight  of  the 
Legion  of  Honor.  Among  his  publications  are  "Five  Years 
with  the  Congo  Cannibals"  and  ^'My  Life  with  Stanley's 
Rear  Guard." 

Washington,  Booker  T.  1859-  .  Educator.  Organizer  and 
head  of  Tuskegee  Institute  1881.  He  has  done  more  toward 
the  practical  education  of  negroes  than  any  other  educator. 

Waterhouse,  Alfred  James.  1855-  .  Newspaper  man  and 
author.    Now  the  associate  editor  of  the  San  Francisco  Star. 

Watterson,  Henry.  1840-  .  JournaHst  and  orator.  Editor 
of  the  Courier  Journal,  Louisville,  Kentucky,  and  member  of 
the  forty-fourth  congress. 

White,  Stewart  Edward.  1873-  .  Fiction  writer.  His  ex- 
perience as  member  of  the  American  Forestry  Association  is 
reflected  in  all  that  he  has  written.  The  forests  and  mountains 
take  on  new  attractions  as  he  portrays  them. 


346  BIOGRAPHICAL  NOTES 

Whittier,  John  Greenleaf.  1807-1892.  The  Quaker  poet  who  as 
a  boy  received  his  first  inspiration  to  write  by  hearing  some 
of  Burns'  poems  read  aloud.  He  is  revered  for  his  simple  living, 
the  ennobling  verses  he  wrote,  and  his  devotion  to  the  cause  of 
freedom. 

Williams,  Jesse  Lynch.  1871-  .  A  Princeton  alumnus,  still 
residing  at  Princeton,  who  has  written  many  good  stories  of 
his  Alma  Mater. 

Wills,  Freeman.  English  clergyman  and  dramatist.  Vicar  of 
St.  Agatha,  Finsbury,  London,  since  1871. 

Wilson,  Woodrow.  1856-  .  Born  Staunton,  Va.  President 
Princeton  University  1902-1910,  Governor  of  New  Jersey 
1911-1913,  twenty-eighth  president  of  the  United  States. 
Author  of  various  political  and  historical  works. 

Zamacois,  Miguel.  Man  of  letters,  dramatic  author,  and  ChevaHer 
of  the  Legion  of  Honor.  "The  Jesters"  was  first  played  at  the 
Sarah  Bernhardt  Theatre,  Paris,  in  1907. 

Zangwill,  Israel.  1864-  .  Hebrew  poet  and  playwright. 
Among  his  best  known  works  are  "Children  of  the  Ghetto," 
and  "Merely  Mary  Ann." 


ALPHABETICAL  INDEX  OF  SELECTIONS 


PAGE 

America  the  Crucible  of  God Israel  Zangwill  200 

American  Integrity Charles  Evans  Hughes  331 

Antelope,  the  Sioux  Scout C.  Alexander  Eastman  274 

As  Men  Should Leonard  B.  Kendall  329 

At  Abbotsford  with  Scott Washington  Irving  291 

Breaking  of  Pommers,  The A.  Conan  Doyle  159 

Burial  of  Dundee William  Edmondstoune  Aytoun  262 

Case  of  Fatty  Simon,  The Jesse  Lynch  Williams  211 

Climbing  to  a  Steeple-Top Cleveland  Moffett  333 

Consecration  to  Country Abraham  Lincoln  318 

Court  Lady,  A Elizabeth  Barrett  Browning  221 

Death  of  the  Dauphin,  The Alphonse  Daudet  241 

Discovery  of  the  North  Pole,  The Robert  E.  Peary  326 

Eagle's  Song,  The Richard  Mansfield  185 

Electric  Tram,  The .Alfred  Noyes  193 

Escape  from  Prison S.  Weir  Mitchell  171 

Extract  from  Inaugural  Address Woodrow  Wilson  336 

Falstaff 's  Valor William  Shakespeare  186 

Finish  of  Patsy  Barnes,  The Paul  Laurence  Dunbar  164 

Getting  Started  as  a  Lawyer Paul  Leicester  Ford  310 

Griggsby's  Station James  Whitcomb  Riley  213 

Henry  Hudson's  Last  Voyage Henry  van  Dyke  319 

How  Wendell  Phillips  Became  an  Anti-slavery  Reformer 

Mary  A.  Livermore  197 

Hymn  to  the  North  Star William  Cullen  Bryant  202 

Italian  in  England,  The Robert  Browning  305 

John  Brown's  Last  Speech James  Redpath  316 

King's  Tragedy,  The Dante  Gabriel  Rossetti  282 

Lincoln,  the  Man  of  the  People Edwin  Markham  225 

Little  Women,  Scene  from  (Louisa  M.  Alcott) 

Dramatized  by  Marion  DeForest  208 
Lodging  for  a  Night,  A Robert  Louis  Stevenson  215 

347 


348  INDEX  OF  SELECTIONS 

PAGli 

Log  Driving Stewart  Edward  White  179 

Loyalty Newell  Dwight  Hillis  232 

Man  with  his  Hat  in  his  Hand,  The Clark  Howell  219 

Marguerite John  Greenleaf  Whittier  245 

May  Flowers Theodosia  Garrison  184 

Miracle  of  the  Peach-Tree,  The Maurice  Hewlett  270 

Morning  in  an  African  Village,  A Herbert  Ward  293 

Nandi  Lion  Hunting Theodore  Roosevelt  278 

Night  Among  the  Pines,  A Robert  Louis  Stevenson  250 

Passing  of  Captain  Jewett,  The George  W.  Cable  259 

Passion  in  the  Desert,  The Honore  de  Balzac  246 

Path  to  Peace,  The William  Howard  Taft  231 

Pirates Alfred  Noyes  277 

Premiere  of  ''She  Stoops  to  Conquer,"  The. .  .  .F.  Frankfort  Moore  302 

Race  of  Life,  The Oliver  Wendell  Holmes  176 

Rescued  from  the  Stadthouse  Tower Charles  Reade  266 

Royal  Marauder,  A Charles  G.  D.  Roberts  256 

Said  Abdallah Homer  Davenport  234 

Sea  Ice  and  Icebergs John  Tyndall  296 

Sea,  The Bryan  Waller  Proctor  206 

Second  Fiddle Richard  Burton  224 

Self-assertion  in  Speech Benjamin  Franklin  223 

Sergeant  Vaughan  as  a  Fireman Jacob  A.  Riis  239 

Sidney  Carton's  Sacrifice  (Charles  Dickens) 

Dramatized  by  Freeman  Wills  324 

Silly  Old  Man,  A George  R.  Sims  190 

Song  of  the  Chattahoochee Sidney  Lanier  177 

Standards  of  Success Brander  Matthews  300 

Story  of  Philip  Nolan,  The Edward  Everett  Hale  227 

Story  of  the  Breeze,  The Miguel  Zamaco'is  169 

Struggling  for  an  Education Booker  T.  Washington  298 

Swan  Creek  Church  Opened,  The Ralph  Connor  203 

Tall-stoy George  Ade  253 

Under  the  Sign  of  the  Golden  Shoe Alfred  Noyes  191 

Vision  of  American  History Henry  Watterson  243 

When  I  Go  Out  on  my  Wheel Alfred  James  Waterhouse  194 

When  Tulips  Bloom Henry  van  Dyke  183 

Where  Edible  Birds'  Nests  are  Gathered H,  Wilfred  Walker  313 


ALPHABETICAL  INDEX  OF  AUTHORS 


PAGE 

Ade,  George 253 

Alcott,  Louisa  M 208 

Aytoun,  William  E 262 

Balzac,  Honore  de 246 

Browning,  Elizabeth  B 221 

Browning,  Robert 305 

Bryant,  William  Cullen.  ....  202 

Burton,  Richard 224 

Cable,  George  W 259 

Daudet,  Alphonse 241 

Davenport,  Homer 234 

DeForest,  Marion 208 

Dickens,  Charles 324 

Doyle,  A.  Conan 159 

Dunbar,  Paul  Laurence 164 

Eastman,  C.  Alexander 274 

Ford,  Paul  Leicester 310 

Franklin,  Benjamin 223 

Garrison,  Theodosia 184 

Gordon,  Charles  William.  ...  203 

Hale,  Edward  Everett 227 

Hewlett,  Maurice 270 

Hillis,  Newell  Dwight 232 

Holmes,  Oliver  Wendell 176 

Howell,  Clark 219 

Hughes,  Charles  Evans 331 

Irving,  Washington 291 

Kendall,  Leonard  B 329 

Lanier,  Sidney 177 

Lincoln,  Abraham 318 

Livermore,  Mary  A 197 

Mansfield,  Richard 185 

Markham,  Edwin 225 


PAGE 

Matthews,  Brander 300 

Mitchell,  S.  Weir 171 

Moffett,  Cleveland 333 

Moore,  F.  Frankfort 302 

Noyes,  Alfred 191,  193,  277 

Peary,  Robert  E 326 

Proctor,  Bryan  Waller 206 

Reade,  Charles 266 

Redpath,  James 316 

Riis,  Jacob  A 239 

Riley,  James  Whitcomb 213 

Roberts,  Charles  G.  D 256 

Roosevelt,  Theodore 278 

Rossetti,  Dante  Gabriel 282 

Shakespeare,  William 186 

Sims,  George  R 190 

Stevenson,  Robert  Louis  215,  250 

Taft,  WiUiam  Howard 231 

Tyndall,  John 296 

Van  Dyke,  Henry 183,  319 

Walker,  H.  Wilfred 313 

Ward,  Herbert 293 

Washington,  Booker  T 298 

Waterhouse,  Alfred  James.  .  .  194 

Watterson,  Henry 243 

White,  Stewart  Edward 179 

Whittier,  John  G , . .  245 

Williams,  Jesse  Lynch 211 

Wills,  Freeman 324 

Wilson,  Woodrow 336 

Zamacois,  Miguel 169 

Zangwill,  Israel 200 


349 


INDEX 


Abbott,  Lyman,  quotation  from, 
89 

Abdominal  breathing,  12 

Accent,  adjective  and  verb  dis- 
tinguished by,  66-67;  correct, 
of  words  often  wrongly  ac- 
cented, 70j  defined,  66;  foreign, 
26;  noun  and  adjective  distin- 
guished by,  66-67;  noun  and 
verb  distinguished  by,  66-67; 
primary  and  secondary,  66 

Accuracy,  in  reading,  80 

Actors,  emotions  of,  99;  voices  of, 
104 

Allen,  James  Lane,  quotation 
from,  137 

Alphabet,  N.  E.  A.,  74-77 

American  institutions  encourage 
public  speaking,  5 

American  voice,  7,  107 

Analyzing  thought,  80,  84,  85,  112 

Anderson,  William  Gilbert, 
quotation  from,  90 

Antonyms,  95-96 

Archer,  William,  quotation 
from,  99 

Argument,  89-91;  antecedent 
probability,  153;  from  author- 
ity, 153;  positive,  153;  pure  rea- 
son, 153;  real  evidence,  153 

Argumentation,  89-91 

Articulation,  organs  of,  15,  16,  18 

Atherton,  Gertrude,  quotation 
from,  115 


Atmosphere  of  audience,  101-103 
Atonies,  defined,  16;  tabulated,  17 
Attainments   in   spoken   English, 
3,  6 

Beecher,  Henry  Ward,  quota- 
tion from,  147 

Begging  the  question,  152 

Bible,  quotation  from,  128 

Book,  how  to  hold  it,  12 

Breathing,  abdominal,  12;  af- 
fected by  position,  10;  costal, 
12;  effect  of  proper  breathing, 
12;  exercises  for  deep  breath- 
ing, 13;  exercises  for  control  of 
breath,  14;  control  of,  for  group- 
ing words,  123;  methods  of,  12; 
thoracic,  12 

Brief  making,  155 

Bronte,  Charlotte,  quotation 
from,  140 

Browne,  Walter,  quotation 
from,  114 

Browning,  Robert,  quotation 
from,  127 

Bulwer-Lytton,  Edward,  quo- 
tation from,  132 

Burden  of  proof,  152 

Business  success,  aided  by  good 
EngUsh,  3-5 

Byron,  Lord,  quotation  from,  141 

Cable,  George  W.,  quotation 
from,  142 


351 


352 


INDEX 


Cawein,  Madison,  quotation 
from,  123 

Central  idea,  113,  148 

Chambers,  Robert  W.,  quota- 
tion from,  144 

Character  and  emotional  expres- 
sion, 100 

Choosing,  a  selection,  149;  a  topic 
for  an  original  speech,  150;  a 
topic  for  oral  composition,  92- 
93;  a  question  for  debate,  154 

Circumflex  inflection,  133 

Clay,  Henry,  quotation  from, 
135 

Clearing  groimd,  152 

Cognates  defined,  16 

Compass  of  voice,  129 

Complexity  of  oral  English,  8 

Composition,  oral,  forms  of,  com- 
pared with  purposes  of  pubHc 
speaking,  91;  ideals  in,  78-79; 
topics  for,  92-93 

Concentration  of  thought,  84 

Conclusion,  of  original  speech, 
150;  of  debate,  155 

Cone,  Helen  Gray,  quotation 
from,  120 

Connolly,  James  Brendan,  quo- 
tation from,  134 

Consonants,  beginning  and  final, 
18;  correct  sound  of,  in  words 
often  mispronounced,  71;  how 
formed,  16;  lessons  in  enuncia- 
tion of,  19-46;  tabulation  of, 
17;  with  more  than  one  sound, 
61-65;  with  musical  qualities, 
107-108 

Contrast  of  ideas,  113 

Control  of  breath,  exercises  for, 
13;  while  grouping  words,  123 


Conversation,  reveals  the  indi- 
vidual, 4;  compared  with  public 
address,  6 

Conviction,  a  purpose  of  public 
speaking,  89 

Correcting  a  speech,  151;  a  de- 
bate, 155;  a  misstatement,  102 

Costal  breathing,  12 

Cox,  Samuel  S.,  quotation  from, 
89 

Criticism,  94 

Curtis,  George  William,  quota- 
tion from,  116,  121 

Debates,   cautions,   156;  how  to 

prepare,  151 ;  positive  argument, 

153;  refutation,  154 
Deep  breathing,  exercises  for,  13 
Delivery    affected    by    emotion, 

100 
Description,  form  of  composition, 

91 
Descriptive  gestures,  145-146 
Diacritical  marks,  46 
Diagnosis   of   pupil's   expression, 

80 
Dickens,    Charles,    quotations 

from,  131,  134,  137 
Dictionaries,    records   of    current 

usage,   67;  Webster  diacritical 

markings,  46-75 
Diphthongs  in  EngUsh,  55 
Directness  in  delivery,  290 
Diversion,    a   purpose   of   public 

speaking,  87;  illustration,  87 
Doubt,  inflection  expressing,  133 
Doyle,    A.    Conan,    quotations 

from,  114,  124,  127 
Dramatization,  101,  147 
Drawling,  how  to  overcome,  18 


INDEX 


353 


Ear,  cultivation  of,  68,  103,  104; 
meaning  of  good,  104;  trained, 
gives  ideals,  105;  trained,  acts  as 
gauge,  106;  untrained,  a  handi- 
cap, 105 

Eastman,  C.  Alexander,  quota- 
tion from,  128 

Elements  of  language,  16;  in  Eng- 
lish tabulated,  17;  of  oral  Eng- 
lish tabulated,  7 

Emerson,  Ralph  Waldo,  quota- 
tion from,  115 

Emotional  elements,  9,  99 

Emotions,  cultivation  of,  100; 
effect  of,  in  delivery,  100;  rela- 
tion to  imagination,  99;  univer- 
sal language,  99 

Emphasis  defined,  112;  rules  for, 
113;  rules  illustrated,  114-117 

English  language,  vowels  and 
consonants  of,  15-17;  deserves 
respect,  68 

Enunciation,  aids  to  good,  18; 
what  is  good,  18;  graded  lessons 
in,  19-46 

Errors,  in  grammar,  81;  in  pro- 
nunciation, 67-72 

Exaggeration,  to  be  avoided, 
156 

Exercises  for  controlling  breath, 
14;  cultivating  the  voice,  128- 
129;  deep  breathing,  13;  enun- 
ciation, 19-46;  pronunciation, 
46-74 

Exposition,  a  form  of  composition, 
91 

Extemporaneous  speech,  98 

Familiarity^  with  words,  95 
Feeling  the  pulse  of  the  audience, 


101;  help  to  a  speaker,  102,  188; 

how  cultivated,  102 
Field,  Eugene,  quotation  from, 

132 
Flippancy  in  debate,  156 
Focusing  tone,  18,  109 
Force,     an     expressive    element, 

112 
Ford,   Paul   Leicester,    quota- 
tion from,  88 
Foreign  accents,  26 
Formal  Elements,  8,  10 
Formation,  of  consonants,  16,  19; 

of  vowels,  16 
Freedom  of  organs  of  articulation, 

109 

Galsworthy,  John,  quotations 
from,  115,  121 

Garrison,  Theodosia,  quotation 
from,  125 

Gestures,  descriptive,  145,  146; 
elaborate,  145;  emotionally 
manifestive,  147;  self-manifes- 
tive,  146;  sympathetic,  146;  use 
and  abuse  of  descriptive,  146 

Gilder,  Richard  Watson,  quo- 
tation from,  125 

Grady,  Henry  W.,  quotations 
from,  120,  127 

Grammatical  relations,  apprecia- 
tion of,  80;  effect  on  reading,  81; 
effect  on  spoken  English,  81; 
errors  that  are  common,  81- 
82 

Grasp  of  subject,  98 

Grouping,  according  to  punctua- 
tion, 123;  according  to  thought, 
123;  exercises  in,  123-126;  lines 
of  poetry,  123 


354 


INDEX 


Habits  of  speech,  3,  80,  81 
Hagedorn,  Hermann,  quotation 

from,  132 
Hall,  Newman,  quotation  from, 

117       • 
Hamilton,    Alexander,    quota- 
tion from,  98 
Hardy,  Thomas,  quotation  from, 

143 
Harrison,   Clifford,    quotation 

from,  82 
Henry,  O.,  quotation  from,  116 
Herbert,     George,      quotation 

from,  129 
Herrick,      Robert,      quotation 

from,  118 
Hovey,  Richard,  quotation  from, 

134 
Hughes,  Thomas,  quotation  from, 

121 
Hunt,  Leigh,  quotation  from,  130 

Ibsen,  Henrik,  quotations  from, 

114,  136 
Ideals   in   oral    composition,   78, 

79 
Idioms  of  English,  96-97 
Imagination,  how  developed,  83; 

related   to   reading   aloud,   82; 

used  in  many  professions,  83 
Imitation,    basis   of   speech,    78; 

of   teacher's   reading,    104;    of 

voices  heard,  104 
Impression,  a  purpose  of  public 

speaking,  86;  illustration,  89 
Inflections,    circumflex,    133;   de- 
fined, 133;  falling,  133;  rising, 

133 
Ingersoll,    Robert,   quotations 

from,  83,  128 


Instruction,  a  purpose  of  public 

speaking,  86;  illustration,  88 
Integrity  of  speaker,  103 
Intellectual  Elements,  8,  78 
Interpretation,    characteristic    of 

reading  aloud,  7;  of  literature 

gives  ideals,  79 
Interrogative  sentences  with  force 

of  commands,  133 
Introduction,      to     an     original 

speech,  150;  to  a  debate,  155 


James,  William,  quotations  from, 

79,  144 
Jaw,  free  movement  of  lower,  18 
Johnson,  Owen,  quotation  from, 

136 

Keys  in  speech,  130 
Klein,  Charles,  quotation  from, 
115 

Labials,  classified,  17;  defined,  16 

Lamb,  Charles,  quotation  from, 
121 

Leacock,  Stephen,  quotation 
from,  87 

Linguals,  classified,  17;  defined,  16 

Lips,  mobility  of,  18 

Lisping,  how  to  avoid,  18 

Longfellow,  Henry  W.,  quota- 
tion from,  119 

Mackaye,  Percy  W.,  quotation 
from,  142 

Maeterlinck,  Maurice,  quota- 
tion from,  138 

Mannerisms,  effect  of,  on  audi- 
ence, 11 


INDEX 


355 


Manuscript,  reading  from,  151 

Harden,  Orison  Swett,  quota- 
tion from,  122 

Matthews,  Brander,  quotation 
from,  124 

Matthews,  William,  quotation 
from,  14 

Mechanical,  pausing,  126;  proc- 
esses not  the  object  of  thought, 
105 

Melody,  of  sentences,  129;  and  ac- 
cent, 66 

Memorizing,  149 

Mental  grasp  of  thought,  84,  98 

Mental  training  from  vital  oral 
reading,  84,  85,  98 

Merim^e,  Prosper,  quotation 
from,  142 

Models,  study  of,  78 

Monotone,  cause  of,  103,  175;  in 
untrained  voice,  107;  of  deaf, 
104 

Moody,  William  Vaughn,  quo- 
tation from,  115 

Narration,  a  form  of  composition, 
91 

Nasal  consonants,  musical  quali- 
ties of,  108 

Nasality,  how  to  avoid,  18 

Newbolt,  Henry,  quotation 
from,  141 

Nose,  breathing  through  the,  13 

Note-book,  value  of,  95 

Old  rule  of  counting  at  pauses,  126 
Oral  composition,  ideals  for,  78- 

79;  topics  for,  92-93 
Oral  English,  command  of,  essen- 
tial in  public  speaking,  5;  com- 


mand of,  an  element  of  success, 
3;  divisions  of,  6;  elements  of, 
tabulated,  8-9;  permanency  of 
attainments  in,  6;  value  of,  at 
school,  3;  value  of,  in  social 
relations,  4;  value  of,  in  busi- 
ness, 4,  5 

Oral  reading,  complexity  of,  8;  ele- 
ments of,  tabulated,  8-9;  form 
of  oral  English,  6;  how  to  im- 
prove in,  7;  neglect  of,  7;  vi- 
tality in,  158 

Oratory,  103 

Original  speech,  how  to  prepare 
one,  150 

Palatals,  classified,  17;  defined,  16 

Pantomime,  101,  145,  147 

Parliamentary  usage  in  debate, 
156 

Pauses,  related  to  emphasis,  112; 
related  to  grouping,  123;  re- 
lated to  time,  126;  rhetorical, 
127;  illustrations,  127-129 

Peabody,  Ephraim,  quotation 
from,  119 

Perception  of  vocal  effects,  103; 
cultivation  of,  104;  essential  to 
good  oral  English,  106 

Perry,  Bliss,  quotation  from,  128 

Persuasion,  a  purpose  of  public 
speaking,  86;  illustration,  90 

Phillips,  Charles,  quotation 
from,  127 

Phillips,  Wendell,  quotation 
from,  116 

Physical  response,  144 

Pier,  Arthur  Stanwood,  quota* 
tion  from,  118 

Pitch,  an  expressive  element,  129 


356 


INDEX 


Pleading,  inflections  in,  133 

PoE,  Edgar  Allan,  quotation 
from,  122 

Positive  assertion,  inflection  of, 
133 

Practice,  necessary  in  oral  compo- 
sition, 133;  reading  aloud,  79; 
voice  exercises,  108;  weak  ele- 
ments developed  by,  8 

Premise,  152 

Preparation,  of  a  debate,  151;  a 
declamation,  149;  an  original 
speech,  150;  a  reading  lesson, 
148 

Presenting  pictures  in  delivery, 
238 

Proof,  burden  of,  152 

Pronunciation,  correct  accentua- 
tion, 70;  correct  consonant 
sounds,  61 ;  correct  vowel  sounds, 
46-60;  defined,  67;  inserting 
extra  syllables,  or  letters,  69; 
of  consonants,  71;  of  silent 
letters,  72;  of  vowels,  71;  omit- 
ting syllables  or  letters,  69; 
wrong  division  of  syllables,  68 

Public  speaking,  purposes  of,  di- 
version, 86-87;  instruction,  86, 
88;  impression,  86,  89;  convic- 
tion, 86,  89;  persuasion,  86,  90; 
compared  with  forms  of  oral 
composition,  91;  equipment  for, 
5 

Purpose,  subservient  and  ulti- 
mate, in  public  speaking,  87 

Quality,  an  expressive  element, 
affected  by  emotions,  139;  cul- 
tivation of,  108,  139;  defined, 
138;  physical  basis   138;  varie- 


ties  of,  used  in  interpreting 
literature,  140-144 

Quality  of  voice  affected  by 
breathing,  12,  18 

Question,  begging  the,  152;  state- 
ment of,  in  debate,  152 

Reade,  Charles,  quotation  from, 
143 

Reading  aloud,  a  form  of  oral  Eng- 
lish, 6;  good  training,  6,  7;  neg- 
lect of,  7 

Reading  lesson,  how  to  prepare, 
148 

Refutation,  154 

Rehearsing,  149,  151,  156 

Resonance,  18;  exercises  for  se- 
curing, 108,  110 

Resonant  chambers,  15,  108 

Rhetorical  pauses,  127;  illustra- 
tions of,  127-129 

Rhythm  rouses  emotions,  99 

Riis,  Jacob  A.,  quotation  from, 
133 

Riley,  James  Whitcomb,  quota- 
tion from,  140 

Robertson,  Forbes,  quotation 
from,  99 

School  subjects  and  oral  English, 

4,  84,  106 
ScoLLARD,     Clinton,     quotation 

from,  125 
Scott,  Walter,  quotations  from, 

130,  136 
Self-confidence,  5 
Self-consciousness,       overcoming, 

10,  147 
Self-control,  11 
Shakespeare,    William,    quota- 


INDEX 


357 


tions  from,  118,  119,  126,  127, 
128,  130,  136 

Shifting  ground,  152 

Silent  letters,  sounding  of,  72 

Slovenly  speech,  4,  5 

Smith,  F.  Hopkinson,  quotation 
from,  135 

Social  relations  and  oral  English,  4 

Spalding,  John  L.,  quotation 
from,  128 

Stating  the  question,  152 

Stevenson,  Robert  Louis,  quo- 
tation from,  140 

Student  cooperation  with  teacher, 
94,95 

Study  of  models,  78 

Subordination,  defined,  120;  illus- 
trated, 120-123 

Subservient  purpose  in  public 
speaking,  87 

Sub  tonics,  classified,  17;  defined, 
.16 

Swift,  Jonathan,  quotation  from, 
122 

Syllables,  inserting  extra,  87; 
omitting,  69;  wrong  division  of 


Thought,  concentration  of,  in 
study,  84;  grasp  of  author's, 
84;  vitality  of,  in  conversation 
and  public  speech,  158 

Time,  an  expressive  element,  117; 
significance  of  fast,  moderate 
and  slow,  117;  varieties  of,  illus- 
trated, 118-123 

Tone,  breathy,  13,  18;  empty,  97; 
focusing,  18;  fronting,  109; 
general  direction  of,  10;  influ- 
enced by  physical  conditions, 
10 

Tonics,  classified,  17;  defined, 
16 

Topics,  for  oral  composition,  92- 
93;  for  original  speech,  150 

Trowbridge,  John  T.,  quotation 
from,  117 

Tyndall,  John,  quotation  from, 
118 

Ultimate  purpose  in  public  speak- 
ing, 87 

Utterance,  rapid,  18;  related  to 
thought,  112 


Syllogism,  152 
Synonyms,  95 

Tabulation,     elements     of     oral 
English,  8-9;  elements  of  Eng- 
lish, 17 
Technical  Elements,  9,  112 
Temperament,  emotional,  100 
Tennyson,    Alfred,    quotations 

from,  122,  131 
Thackeray,  William  M.,  quota- 
tion from,  122 
Thoracic  breathing,  12 


Value  of   good   oral   English,   in 

business,  4,  5;  at  school,  3;  in 

society,  4 
Values,  relation  of,  in  expressive 

delivery,  196 
Vitality  in  oral  reading,  158 
Vocabulary,  how  to  increase,  95, 

96;  of  use  and  comprehension, 

95 
Vocal  apparatus,  15;  exercises  for, 

109 
Voice,  American,  107;  cultivation 

of,  107;  exercises,  109-111;  nat* 


358 


INDEX 


ural  reporter  of  mental  states, 
100 
Vowels,  correct,  in  words  often 
mispronounced,  71;  graded  les- 
sons in  sounds  of^  46-60;  how 
formed,  16;  tabulated,  17 

Watson,  John,  quotation  from, 
144 


Webster,  Daniel,  quotation 
from,  98 

Whittier,  John  Greenleaf,  quo- 
tation from,  138 

WiSTER,  Owen,  quotation  from, 
117 

Words,  choice  of,  95 

Wordsworth,  William,  quota- 
tion from,  124 


Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America. 


"^B  36876 


^^Ti  ft-  T"  ^■-■a^^'--   i--^  .r,.c.. 


450005 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


